The New YourDictionary - Thesaurus Help
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Introduction
- Integrated dictionary and thesaurus
- Large type that is easy to read
- Return page layouts designed for easier reading
- Advanced wild-card search features
- Definitions search
- The best definitions of any English language dictionary, with parts of speech, derivations, examples, and more
The Basic Lookup
To look up a word or phrase in the NEW YourDictionary-Thesaurus simply type it in a search box and click on GO or press the ENTER key on your keyboard. You may search for any form of a term, such as its plural or past tense form, or variant spellings. The dictionary also contains biographical and geographical names, such as "Washington," the city and the president, common foreign words used in English, and many abbreviations.
Advanced Lookup
You may also look up words in the NEW YourDictionary-Thesaurus whose spelling you are not sure of. The NEW YourDictionary-Thesaurus recognizes two 'wild-card' characters: [?] and [*]. The question mark represents any letter of the alphabet, so that if you type in "rec??ve," it will return "receive" even if you are not sure which order the [i] and [e} are in.
The asterisk [*] represents any number of unknown letters. So, typing in "monk*" will retrieve "monkey," even if you don't know whether it is spelled "monky," "monkie," or "monkey." (If you use this character at the beginning of a word, the search will take longer, since the dictionary-thesaurus will have to search every letter of the alphabet.)
Searching for Phrases
To simplify the return page, The NEW YourDictionary-Thesaurus does not search for phrases, just words. However, if you want to search for phrases, you may use the [*] wild card to do so. To find out about fly agaric, or any other phrase beginning with "fly," type in [fly *] with a space between [fly] and [*].
Searching Definitions for Words
Have you ever had a word 'on the tip of your tongue'? You know its meaning, how many syllables it has, the letter it begins with-but you can't think of the word? The NEW YourDictionary-Thesaurus can now help you find the word. Suppose you can't think of "St. Bernard." Go to our Quick Lookup and in the menu to the right, select "Definitions." You know it is a large dog, so type in "large" and "dog." You also know that it is associated with the Alps, so type in a space and then "Alps." Now click "GO!" The dictionary returns "St. Bernard"! [Read more]
Searching for Etymologies
We have made it easy for you: just type in the word whose etymology you wish, select the definition search instead of the normal one, and click "GO." Etymologies are returned whenever you do a definition search of a single word. They are easy to spot because the have a dash after them. Type in "acumen," select "Definitions," and click "GO." The third word on the return list is ak-, the etymological source of "acumen."
When you look up a word in YourDictionary's dictionary, you may receive any one of these three responses on the results page:
- the single word you searched for in the dictionary;
- a screen informing you that your word was not found.
Just click the entry that you wish to see and it will appear immediately. [Read more]
Returning to Search Results
At the bottom of every definition page you will now find two links: [Back] and [Back to Search]. The [Back] link will take you to the previous definition if you have read more than one. The [Back to Search] button will return you to the original Search Results page.
The NEW YourDictionary-Thesaurus presents the thesaurus results either as a Category Index or an individual word. A Category Index listing is a major group of synonyms and antonyms with related meanings. Individual entries present only synonyms of individual words but they usually contain a link to a Category Index, where you will find antonyms. [Read more]
Content of the Definitions
The definitions that appear on the results page when you search for a word in the dictionary contain most if not all the information you need about a word. It begins with the Main Entry in green type. This is the word you searched for. Beneath the headword(s), you will see a link to the Audio Pronunciation (WAV file) followed by a symbolic Visual Pronunciation. For access to the key to the Visual Pronunciation, click the link at the very right of the same line. Your browser will automatically play the WAV file for you when you click: "Listen." If it does not, simply update your browser to the latest version available. [Read more]
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