noun
glossary
GLAH-suh-ree/ˈɡlɑːsəri/
An alphabetical list of terms with explanations of their meanings.
The glossary at the back explains the book's scientific terms.
Etymology
A glossarium collected glosses—explanations of unfamiliar words. That purpose survives in a glossary: specialized terms are gathered with their meanings so readers can understand vocabulary outside ordinary use.
In context
the basic format for a glossary is a list of words in alphabetical order each word should be followed by a definition that explains what the word means
More examples
- Check the glossary if you don't recognize a legal term.
- Our class creates a glossary of gardening terms in alphabetical order.
- Both manuals include glossaries that explain common technical abbreviations.
Forms
glossary · glossaries
gloss noun — A brief explanation of a word's meaning.
Similar words
- dictionary
- Usually covers a language broadly rather than one text or subject.
- lexicon
- Can mean a vocabulary itself, not just a reference listing.