glossary

noun

glos·​sa·​ry ˈglä-sə-rē How to pronounce glossary (audio)
ˈglȯ-
plural glossaries
: a collection of textual glosses or of specialized terms with their meanings
glossarial adjective

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web There's also an Italian food glossary, details about Italy’s coffee and wine culture, how (and what) to order, and a deep dive into Italian eating and drinking traditions. Kelsey Fowler, Travel + Leisure, 2 Apr. 2023 Card 1 of 7 A glossary. New York Times, 22 Mar. 2022 For anyone looking to go even deeper, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has its own detailed glossary, and for younger readers, NASA’s Climate Kids website is aimed at making climate change more understandable and relatable. Washington Post, 10 Aug. 2021 This glossary only scratches the surface. Lauren Mcgaughy, Dallas News, 22 Mar. 2023 Derwin, Stickabush, Itzsoweezee, Dan Stuckie, Dante is a scrub, Buddy: the group developed their own cryptophasia, a personal glossary of inside jokes to define themselves in opposition to a harsh hip-hop world that was destined to misunderstand their methods. Hazlitt, 22 Mar. 2023 Check out our glossary to understand where cloud computing came from, and where it’s headed. Heather Landy, Quartz, 15 Dec. 2022 This glossary has been adapted from a version originally published in October 2021. Laura Smith-spark, CNN, 5 Nov. 2022 The newest addition to this glossary is CRT. Damon Young, Washington Post, 26 Sep. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'glossary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English glosarie, borrowed from Medieval Latin glōsārium, glōssārium, from glōsa, glōssa gloss entry 3 + Latin -ārium -ary entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of glossary was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near glossary

Cite this Entry

“Glossary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glossary. Accessed 7 Jun. 2023.

Kids Definition

glossary

noun
glos·​sa·​ry ˈgläs-(ə-)rē How to pronounce glossary (audio)
ˈglȯs-
plural glossaries
1
: a list of the hard or unusual words found in a book
2
: a dictionary of the special terms in a particular field
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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