Google Dictionary

Last updated
Google Dictionary
Google 2015 logo.svg
Logo of Google Search
Screenshot
Google search dictionary.png
Google Dictionary service on Google Search
Type of site
Online dictionary
Available inMultiple languages
Owner Google
Created by Google
URL www.google.com/search?q=Dictionary
LaunchedDecember 2009;14 years ago (2009-12)

Google Dictionary is an online dictionary service of Google that can be accessed with the "define" operator and other similar phrases [note 1] in Google Search. [2] It is also available in Google Translate and as a Google Chrome extension. The dictionary content is licensed from Oxford University Press's Oxford Languages. [3] It is available in different languages, such as English, Spanish and French. The service also contains pronunciation audio, Google Translate, a word origin chart, Ngram Viewer, and word games, among other features for the English-language version. [4] [5] Originally available as a standalone service, it was integrated into Google Search, with the separate service discontinued in August 2011.

Contents

Microsoft's Bing provides a similar dictionary service that also licenses dictionary data from Oxford Languages. [6] Apple also licenses dictionary data from Oxford for its iOS and macOS products. [7]

History

The service originated in Google Translate, and was launched as a standalone service (google.com/dictionary) in December 2009. [8] [9] [10] Google displayed definitions from Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary for English until August 2010, [9] [11] when it switched to the Oxford American College Dictionary. [12]

After being integrated into Google Search, the dictionary was discontinued as a separate service on August 5, 2011, [10] [13] and can now be accessed with the "define" operator or by simply searching for a word. [2] [13] The dictionary service is also still available in Google Translate and can be accessed by selecting a single word. [13] Google has also released the service as an extension for Chrome. [14]

As of 2023, Google licenses dictionary data from Oxford Languages for multiple languages, including British/American English, [3] Spanish, [15] and German. [16]

On Arabic Language Day (December 18) in 2015, Google added an Arabic-language dictionary, available globally, to the service that showed definitions, translations, and example usages of the word in a sentence. [17]

In February 2017, online news website Daily Caller accused Google of changing the definition of the word "fascism" in Google Dictionary. It was later found that the definition was exactly from an external source and was not written by Google. [18]

Google added a Hindi dictionary from Rajpal & Sons licensed via Oxford Dictionaries which also supported transliteration and translation to the service in April 2017. [19]

In July 2017, the dictionary was made directly available by typing "dictionary" in Google Search and additional features such as a search box, autocomplete and search history were also added. [2]

In January 2018, a "Similar-sounding words" feature was added to the English dictionary which highlights words that sound similar such as "aesthetic" and "ascetic", "pray" and "prey", "conscientious" and "conscious" etc. [20] "Google Word Coach" vocabulary game was made available along with dictionary searches and as a separate game on mobile devices in February 2018. [21] In August 2018, Google Search added an English and Hindi dictionary for mobile users in India with an option to switch to the English only dictionary. [22]

A "learn to pronounce" option was added to the English dictionary in December 2018 which shows how a word is pronounced with its non-phonemic pronunciation respelling and audio in different accents (such as British and American) along with an option to slow the audio down, visemes for pronunciations were also added in April 2019. [23]

Languages

Google displays dictionaries for the following languages [14] licensed from Oxford Dictionaries [24] which provides data from its own and other published dictionaries.

LanguageDictionaryPublisherNotesExample search [note 2] Refs.
Arabic Available worldwide

Search operator: "ما معنى"

ما معنى أيان [17]
Chinese (Simplified) 现代汉语规范词典 [Xiandai Hanyu Guifan Cidian]

(The Standard Dictionary of Contemporary Chinese)

Oxford University Press

Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press

Available worldwide define 船 [lower-alpha 1]
English (UK) Oxford Dictionary of English

Oxford Thesaurus of English

Oxford University Press Shown worldwide (except North America) define apple [25]

[lower-alpha 2]

English (US) New Oxford American Dictionary

Oxford Thesaurus of English

Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus

Oxford University Press, Inc. Shown in North America define apple [25]

[26] [lower-alpha 3]

English-Indic
(Hindi/Marathi/Tamil)
Oxford Wordpower DictionaryOxford University PressShown in India

(only on mobile devices)

define apple [22]

[lower-alpha 4]

French Le Petit Robert

Google Translate:

Multidictionnaire de la langue française [lower-alpha 5] [lower-alpha 6]

Dictionnaires Le Robert

Google Translate:

Les Éditions Québec Amérique Inc. [lower-alpha 6]

Available worldwide define légende [lower-alpha 7]
German Duden Bibliographisches Institut GmbH Available worldwide define Kraus [lower-alpha 8]

[lower-alpha 9]

Hindi राजपाल हिन्दी शब्दकोश [Rajpal Hindi Shabdkosh]

(Rajpal Hindi Dictionary)

Rajpal & Sons Available worldwide

Supports transliteration

Search operator: "का अर्थ"

शब्द का अर्थ [19] [31]

[lower-alpha 10]

Italian Il Devoto–Oli Mondadori Education S.p.A. Available worldwide define attrezzo [lower-alpha 11]

[lower-alpha 12]

Japanese Available worldwide define こんにちは
Korean 뉴에이스 국어사전 [Nyueiseu Gug-eosajeon]

New Ace Korean Language Dictionary

DIOTEKAvailable worldwide define 한국어 [lower-alpha 13]
Portuguese (Brazil) Houaiss Dictionary of the Portuguese Language Editora Objetiva Available worldwide define alho [lower-alpha 14]

[lower-alpha 15]

Russian Dictionary of the Russian Language (Ozhegov) "Universe and Education" Publishing House Ltd.Available worldwide define ресторан [lower-alpha 16]

[lower-alpha 17]

Spanish Diccionario General de la Lengua Española Vox Larousse Editorial SL Available worldwide define trastienda [lower-alpha 18]
Thai พจนานุกรมไทย ฉบับทันสมัยและสมบูรณ์

[Phcnanukrm Thiy Chbab Thansmay

Laea Smburn] (Complete Thai Dictionary)

SE-Education Public Company LimitedAvailable worldwide define ด [lower-alpha 19]
Turkish Arkadaş Türkçe SözlükArkadaş Publishing LtdAvailable worldwide define iltifat [lower-alpha 20]

See details for Oxford Dictionaries datasets licensing for other languages here. [35]

See also

Notes

  1. Such as "meaning of [word]"; "spelling of [word]" etc. or simply "dictionary" for the English dictionary. [1] [2]
  2. Google Search settings may need to be changed for some dictionaries to appear. Such as country change to a North American country for the American English dictionary or language change for French and Spanish dictionaries.
  1. Compare with the Chinese language dictionary included in Apple's OS' (which licenses dictionaries from Oxford as well): "现代汉语规范词典 / The Standard Dictionary of Contemporary Chinese. Copyright © 2010, 2013 Oxford University Press and Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing, Co., Ltd." [7]
  2. Compare with the British English dictionary included in Apple's OS' (which licenses dictionaries from Oxford as well): "Oxford Dictionary of English. Copyright © 2010, 2016 by Oxford University Press." [7]
  3. Compare with the American English dictionary included in Apple's OS' (which licenses dictionaries from Oxford as well): "New Oxford American Dictionary. Copyright © 2010, 2016 by Oxford University Press, Inc." [7]
  4. Compare Google definition for "apple" to Oxford Wordpower: "a hard, round fruit with a smooth green, red or yellow skin " [27]
  5. Compare Google definition for "dictionnaire" to Multi: "Recueil des mots d'une ou de plusieurs langues et des informations s'y rapportant, présentés selon un certain ordre (alphabétique, thématique, systématique, etc.)." [28]
  6. 1 2 Compare with the French language dictionary included in Apple's OS' (which licenses dictionaries from Oxford as well): "Multidictionnaire de la langue française. Copyright © 2012, 2014 Les Éditions Québec Amérique Inc., under licence to Oxford University Press." [7]
  7. Compare Google definition for "légende" to Petit Robert: "Récit populaire traditionnel, plus ou moins fabuleux" [29]
  8. Compare Google definition for "kraus" to Duden: "(von kürzerem Haar) sehr stark, in widerspenstig-spröder Weise gelockt, geringelt" [30]
  9. Compare with the German language dictionary included in Apple's OS' (which licenses dictionaries from Oxford as well): "Wörterbuchsubstanz aus: Duden - Wissensnetz deutsche Sprache. Copyright © 2011, 2013 Bibliographisches Institut GmbH, under licence to Oxford University Press." [7]
  10. Compare with the Hindi language dictionary included in Apple's OS' (which licenses dictionaries from Oxford as well): "राजपाल हिन्दी शब्दकोश / Rajpal Hindi Dictionary. Copyright © 2011 Rajpal & Sons, under licence to Oxford University Press." [7]
  11. Compare Google definition for "attrezzo" to Devoto–Oli: "Ciascuno degli utensili o strumenti occorrenti a una determinata attività" [32]
  12. Compare with the Italian language dictionary included in Apple's OS' (which licenses dictionaries from Oxford as well): "Un dizionario italiano da un affiliato di Oxford University Press. Copyright © 2005, 2013 Mondadori Education S.p.A., under licence to Oxford University Press. ... DictionaryIdentifier: com.apple.dictionary.it.Devoto-Oli" [7]
  13. Compare with the Korean language dictionary included in Apple's OS' (which licenses dictionaries from Oxford as well): 뉴에이스 국어사전 / New Ace Korean Language Dictionary. Copyright © 2012 DIOTEK, under licence to Oxford University Press. [7]
  14. Compare Google definition for "alho" to Houaiss Dictionary: "erva de até 60 cm (Allium sativum), com folhas lineares, flores brancas ou avermelhadas e cápsulas loculicidas" [33]
  15. Compare with the Portuguese language dictionary included in Apple's OS' (which licenses dictionaries from Oxford as well): Dicionário de Português licenciado para Oxford University Press. Copyright © 2012 Editora Objetiva, under licence to Oxford University Press. [7]
  16. Compare Google definition for "ресторан" to Explanatory Dictionary: "Род столовой (во 2 знач.) где подают кушанья, закуски, напитки, ви́на." [34]
  17. Compare with the Russian language dictionary included in Apple's OS' (which licenses dictionaries from Oxford as well): "С. И. Ожегов «Толковый словарь русского языка» / S.I. Ojegov: Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language. Copyright © 2012 "Universe and Education" Publishing House Ltd., under licence to Oxford University Press." [7]
  18. Compare with the Spanish language dictionary included in Apple's OS' (which licenses dictionaries from Oxford as well): "Diccionario General de la Lengua Española Vox. Copyright © 2012, 2013 Larousse Editorial, S.L., under licence to Oxford University Press." [7]
  19. Compare with the Thai language dictionary included in Apple's OS' (which licenses dictionaries from Oxford as well): พจนานุกรมไทย ฉบับทันสมัยและสมบูรณ์ / Complete Thai Dictionary. Copyright © 2009 Se-Education PLC, under licence to Oxford University Press. [7]
  20. Compare with the Turkish language dictionary included in Apple's OS' (which licenses dictionaries from Oxford as well): "Arkadaş Türkçe Sözlük. Copyright © 2012 Arkadaş Publishing LTD, under licence to Oxford University Press." [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>New Oxford American Dictionary</i> Collection of American English words and their meanings

The New Oxford American Dictionary (NOAD) is a single-volume dictionary of American English compiled by American editors at the Oxford University Press.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">StarOffice</span> Office productivity suite software

StarOffice is a discontinued proprietary office suite. Its source code continues today in derived open-source office suites Collabora Online and LibreOffice. StarOffice supported the OpenOffice.org XML file format, as well as the OpenDocument standard, and could generate PDF and Flash formats. It included templates, a macro recorder, and a software development kit (SDK).

<i>Pussy</i> Term with multiple meanings

Pussy is a term used as a noun, an adjective, and—in rare instances—a verb in the English language. It has several meanings, as slang, as euphemism, and as vulgarity. Most commonly, it is used as a noun with the meaning "cat", "coward", or "weakling". In slang usage, it can mean "vulva or vagina" and less commonly, as a form of synecdoche, meaning "sexual intercourse with a woman". Because of its multiple senses including both innocent and vulgar connotations, pussy is often the subject of double entendre.

A pseudo-anglicism is a word in another language that is formed from English elements and may appear to be English, but that does not exist as an English word with the same meaning.

Schnapps or schnaps is a type of alcoholic beverage that may take several forms, including distilled fruit brandies, herbal liqueurs, infusions, and "flavored liqueurs" made by adding fruit syrups, spices, or artificial flavorings to neutral grain spirits.

<i>Concise Oxford English Dictionary</i> English dictionary

The Concise Oxford English Dictionary is one of the best-known of the 'smaller' Oxford dictionaries. The latest edition contains over 240,000 entries and 1,728 pages. Its 12th edition, published in 2011, is used by both the United Nations (UN) and NATO as the current authority for spellings in documents in English for international use. It is available as an e-book for a variety of handheld device platforms. In addition to providing information for general use, it documents local variations such as United States and United Kingdom usage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Google (verb)</span> Transitive verb, meaning to search for something using the Google search engine

Owing to the dominance of the Google search engine, to google has become a transitive verb. The neologism commonly refers to searching for information on the World Wide Web, typically using the Google search engine. The American Dialect Society chose it as the "most useful word of 2002". It was added to the Oxford English Dictionary on June 15, 2006, and to the eleventh edition of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary in July 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Google News</span> News aggregator website and app

Google News is a news aggregator service developed by Google. It presents a continuous flow of links to articles organized from thousands of publishers and magazines. Google News is available as an app on Android, iOS, and the Web.

Fictitious or fake entries are deliberately incorrect entries in reference works such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and directories, added by the editors as copyright traps to reveal subsequent plagiarism or copyright infringement. There are more specific terms for particular kinds of fictitious entry, such as Mountweazel, trap street, paper town, phantom settlement, and nihilartikel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spell checker</span> Software to help correct spelling errors

In software, a spell checker is a software feature that checks for misspellings in a text. Spell-checking features are often embedded in software or services, such as a word processor, email client, electronic dictionary, or search engine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spotlight (Apple)</span> macOS search feature

Spotlight is a system-wide desktop search feature of Apple's macOS and iOS operating systems. Spotlight is a selection-based search system, which creates an index of all items and files on the system. It is designed to allow the user to quickly locate a wide variety of items on the computer, including documents, pictures, music, applications, and System Settings. In addition, specific words in documents and in web pages in a web browser's history or bookmarks can be searched. It also allows the user to narrow down searches with creation dates, modification dates, sizes, types and other attributes. Spotlight also offers quick access to definitions from the built-in New Oxford American Dictionary and to calculator functionality. There are also command-line tools to perform functions such as Spotlight searches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pedant</span> Person obsessed with detail or process, often negatively perceived

A pedant is a person who is excessively concerned with formalism, accuracy and precision, or one who makes an ostentatious and arrogant show of learning.

<i>Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary</i> First advanced learners dictionary of English

The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (OALD) was the first advanced learner's dictionary of English. It was first published in 1948. It is the largest English-language dictionary from Oxford University Press aimed at a non-native audience. Users with a more linguistic interest, requiring etymologies or copious references, usually prefer the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, or indeed the comprehensive Oxford English Dictionary, or other dictionaries aimed at speakers of English with native-level competence.

<i>A Greek–English Lexicon</i> 1843–1940 work by Liddell, Scott, Jones

A Greek–English Lexicon, often referred to as Liddell & Scott or Liddell–Scott–Jones (LSJ), is a standard lexicographical work of the Ancient Greek language originally edited by Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, Henry Stuart Jones, and Roderick McKenzie and published in 1843 by the Oxford University Press.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dictionary (software)</span> Dictionary application for macOS developed by Apple Inc.

Dictionary is an application developed by Apple Inc. as a part of macOS. The application provides definitions and synonyms from various dictionaries, Wikipedia articles and a glossary of Apple-related terms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electronic dictionary</span> Dictionary whose data exists in digital form and can be accessed through a number of different media

An electronic dictionary is a dictionary whose data exists in digital form and can be accessed through a number of different media. Electronic dictionaries can be found in several forms, including software installed on tablet or desktop computers, mobile apps, web applications, and as a built-in function of E-readers. They may be free or require payment.

<i>Lexico</i> Dictionary website

Lexico was a dictionary website that provided a collection of English and Spanish dictionaries produced by Oxford University Press (OUP), the publishing house of the University of Oxford. While the dictionary content on Lexico came from OUP, this website was operated by Dictionary.com, whose eponymous website hosts dictionaries by other publishers such as Random House. The website was closed and redirected to Dictionary.com on 26 August 2022.

<i>Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English</i> Advanced learners dictionary

The Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (LDOCE), first published by Longman in 1978, is an advanced learner's dictionary, providing definitions using a restricted vocabulary, helping non-native English speakers understand meanings easily. It is available in four configurations:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alumni</span> Graduate of a school

Alumni are former students or graduates of a school, college, or university. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for groups of women, and alums as a gender-neutral alternative. The word comes from Latin, meaning nurslings, pupils or foster children, derived from alere "to nourish".

<i>Oxford Dictionary of English</i> Single-volume dictionary, first published in 1998

The Oxford Dictionary of English (ODE) is a single-volume English dictionary published by Oxford University Press, first published in 1998 as The New Oxford Dictionary of English (NODE). The word "new" was dropped from the title with the Second Edition in 2003. The dictionary is not based on the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) – it is a separate dictionary which strives to represent faithfully the current usage of English words. The Revised Second Edition contains 355,000 words, phrases, and definitions, including biographical references and thousands of encyclopaedic entries. The Third Edition was published in August 2010, with some new words, including "vuvuzela".

References

  1. "Facts & info, dictionary, unit conversions, & more - Google Home Help". support.google.com. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Google Search upgrades its dictionary card with a separate search box, autocomplete, and history". Android Police. 2017-07-21. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
  3. 1 2 "Oxford Languages and Google - English | Oxford Languages". languages.oup.com. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  4. "define apple - Google Search". Google.com . Retrieved 2018-08-29.
  5. Dickson, Andrew (2018-02-23). "Inside the OED: can the world's biggest dictionary survive the internet?". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2018-08-29. Google, which – through a deal with Oxford Dictionaries – offers thumbnail definitions, audio recordings of pronunciations, etymology, a graph of usage over time and translation facilities.
  6. "define apple". bing.com . Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Dictionaries available on OSX" (XML). mesu.apple.com. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  8. "Google quietly rolls out Dictionary [Updated]". LA Times Blogs - Technology. 2009-12-03. Retrieved 2018-09-02.
  9. 1 2 Brett Reynolds (5 December 2009). "English, Jack". English-jack.blogspot.com. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  10. 1 2 "Google Dictionary Online". googledictionary.freecollocation.com. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
  11. Alex Chitu (5 August 2010). "Google Dictionary Has a New Content Provider". Google Operating System. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  12. Lew, Robert (17 December 2010). "Online dictionaries of English". Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza (Preprint). hdl: 10593/742 .
  13. 1 2 3 Chitu, Alex (5 August 2011). "No More Standalone Google Dictionary". googlesystem.blogspot.com. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  14. 1 2 "Google Dictionary (by Google)". Chrome Web Store . July 23, 2017. Retrieved 2018-09-03.
  15. "Oxford Languages and Google - Spanish | Oxford Languages". languages.oup.com. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  16. "Oxford Languages and Google - German | Oxford Languages". languages.oup.com. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
  17. 1 2 Masri, Zain (December 18, 2015). "يوم سعيد لليوم العالمي للغة العربية!" [Happy Arabic Language Day!]. Google Arabia Blog. Retrieved 2018-08-30. Starting today you can type in the words "ما معنى" followed by the word you want to define and access Arabic dictionary OneBox results. We expanded our dictionary search feature to all global Arabic users
  18. Michael Edison, Hayden (December 18, 2017). "TRUMP SUPPORTERS CLAIM GOOGLE IS CALLING THEM 'FASCIST,' BUT THEY ARE WRONG". Newsweek. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  19. 1 2 "Bringing down the language barriers - making the internet more inclusive". Official Google India Blog. April 25, 2017. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
  20. "Google Adds 'Similar Sounding Words' to Dictionary Search Cards". Search Engine Journal. 2018-01-22. Retrieved 2018-09-02.
  21. "Google Word Coach tests your vocabulary knowledge in bite-sized questions". Android Police. 2018-02-26. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
  22. 1 2 "Google Search in India starts showing dictionary definitions in both English and Hindi". Android Police. 2018-08-28. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
  23. "[Update: Now with visemes] Tip: Google teaches you how to pronounce a word slowly and in different accents". Android Police. 2019-04-02. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
  24. "Case study: Google". Oxford Dictionaries. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
  25. 1 2 "Help | Oxford Dictionaries". Oxford Dictionaries | English. Archived from the original on September 25, 2016. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
  26. "Oxford Dictionaries content help - Oxford Dictionaries". oxforddictionaries.com. 2016-08-27. Archived from the original on August 27, 2016. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
  27. Wehmeier, Sally, ed. (1993). Oxford Wordpower Dictionary . Oxford University Press. p. 26. ISBN   978-0-19-431138-0.
  28. "Pratique iOS 7: Utiliser le dictionnaire en français et plus encore sur iPhone et iPad". iphon.fr (in French). Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  29. "Grèce: Les secrets du passé- La mythologie". museedelhistoire.ca.
  30. "Duden | kraus | Rechtschreibung, Bedeutung, Definition, Synonyme, Herkunft". duden.de (in German). Bibliographisches Institut GmbH. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  31. "Oxford Global Languages - के बारे में". Oxford Dictionaries | हिंदी. Archived from the original on July 9, 2019. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
  32. "attrezzo - Dizionario italiano". WordReference.com (in Italian). 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  33. "Matizes Escondidos - UOL Blog". matizes.escondidos.zip.net. July 6, 2008. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  34. "Детские перлы, которые заставили родителей замешкаться [comment the blog]". umoritelno.com (in Russian). March 12, 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  35. "Licensing". Oxford Dictionaries. Archived from the original on December 19, 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2018.