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A thesaurus (pl.: thesauri or thesauruses), sometimes called a synonym dictionary or dictionary of synonyms, is a reference work which arranges words by their meanings (or in simpler terms, a book where one can find different words with similar meanings to other words), [1] [2] sometimes as a hierarchy of broader and narrower terms, sometimes simply as lists of synonyms and antonyms.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush; A cat may look at a king; A chain is only as strong as its weakest link; A dog is a man's best friend; A drowning man will clutch at a straw; A fool and his money are soon parted [4] A friend in need (is a friend indeed) A friend to everyone is a friend to no one; A journey of a thousand miles begins ...
Conceiving that such a compilation might help to supply my own deficiencies, I had, in the year 1805, completed a classed catalogue of words on a small scale, but on the same principle, and nearly in the same form, as the Thesaurus now published. [4] Roget's Thesaurus is composed of six primary classes. [5]
Synonym list in cuneiform on a clay tablet, Neo-Assyrian period [1] A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. [2] For example, in the English language, the words begin, start, commence, and initiate are all synonyms of one another: they are ...
"A picture is worth a thousand words" is an adage in multiple languages meaning that complex and sometimes multiple ideas [1] can be conveyed by a single still image, which conveys its meaning or essence more effectively than a mere verbal description.
A purple crocodile is now a metaphor for unhelpful officialdom in the Netherlands. A jobsworth is a person who uses the (typically small) authority of their job in a deliberately uncooperative way, or who seemingly delights in acting in an obstructive or unhelpful manner.
A blobbogram is designed to show whether further research is needed. Studies crossing the vertical line are inconclusive. Here the summary (bottom diamond) shows that the treatment prevented babies from dying.
Some words, by their structure, can suggest extended forms that may turn out to be contentious (e.g. lesbian and transgender imply the longer words lesbianism and transgenderism, which are sometimes taken as offensive for seeming to imply a belief system or agenda). For additional guidance on -ist/-ism terms, see § Contentious labels, above.