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thesaurus

noun the·sau·rus \ thi-ˈsȯr-əs \
|Updated on: 7 Jun 2018
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Definition of thesaurus

plural thesauri play \thi-ˈsȯr-ˌī, -ˌē\ or thesauruses play \thi-ˈsȯr-ə-səz\
1 a : a book of words or of information about a particular field or set of concepts; especially : a book of words and their synonyms
b : a list of subject headings or descriptors usually with a cross-reference system for use in the organization of a collection of documents for reference and retrieval
2 : treasury, storehouse
—

thesaural

play \thi-ˈsȯr-əl\ adjective

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Did You Know?

In the early 19th century, archaeologists borrowed the Latin word thesaurus to denote an ancient treasury, such as that of a temple. Soon after, the word was metaphorically applied to a book containing a "treasury" of words or information about a particular field. In 1852, the English scholar Peter Mark Roget published his Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases, in which he listed a treasury of related words organized into numerous categories. This work led to the common acceptance of the term "thesaurus" for "a book of words and their synonyms." Finally, during the 1950s, "thesaurus" began being used in the field of word processing to refer to a list of related terms used for indexing and retrieval.

Origin and Etymology of thesaurus

New Latin, from Latin, treasure, collection, from Greek thēsauros

THESAURUS Defined for English Language Learners

thesaurus

noun

Definition of thesaurus for English Language Learners

  • : a book in which words that have the same or similar meanings are grouped together

THESAURUS Defined for Kids

thesaurus

noun the·sau·rus \ thi-ˈsȯr-əs \

Definition of thesaurus for Students

plural thesauri \-ˈsȯr-ˌī, -ˌē\ or thesauruses \-ˈsȯr-ə-səz\
: a book of words and their synonyms

Learn More about thesaurus

  1. See words that rhyme with thesaurus Spanish Central: Translation of thesaurus Nglish: Translation of thesaurus for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of thesaurus for Arabic speakers

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