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Dictionary (software)
Encyclopedia
Dictionary is an application developed by Apple for its Macintosh
computers. It was introduced with Mac OS X v10.4
"Tiger", and provides definitions and synonyms from the New Oxford American Dictionary, 2nd Edition
and Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, 2nd Edition. It also includes Wikipedia and a section called Apple which includes Apple related items.
(and NEXTSTEP
) provided similar functionality, called Digital Webster, providing dictionary
and thesaurus
definitions from Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary and Webster's Collegiate Thesaurus
(termed the "First Digital Edition"). OPENSTEP Services provide lookup from all applications.
The Preferences allow a user to select from three different pronunciation schemes, either US English (Diacritical or IPA), or British English (IPA).
The dictionary and thesaurus in Dictionary are in an XML
format, but make use of precompiled binary index files to access the XML file directly. Therefore, the lexicon
cannot be modified. However, the user can add new words to the Mac OS X system-wide spell checker, which uses its own lexicon.
, Progressive English to Japanese and Progressive Japanese to English dictionaries, and the 25,000-word thesaurus , all of which are provided by the Japanese publisher Shogakukan
. The Japanese dictionaries do not show up by default, and must be enabled in Preferences.
Software such as DictUnifier can be used to add more dictionaries to the application.
. However, since the redesign of Wikipedia in the first quarter of 2010, and for participants in the usability study in late 2009, the scrolling functionality of Wikipedia in Dictionary did not work. No scrollbars were present, and users were not able to scroll to parts of the article outside of the constraints of the window size upon loading a Wikipedia article. This error has been fixed since the release of Mac OS X 10.6.5 on November 10, 2010.
has confirmed that this statement originates from their corpora, not Apple's, and was not meant to have a political interpretation. Under Mac OS X Snow Leopard, the sentence has been replaced with the following: "freedom of speech is essential to democracy."
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
computers. It was introduced with Mac OS X v10.4
Mac OS X v10.4
Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger is the fifth major release of Mac OS X, Apple's desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers. Tiger was released to the public on 29 April 2005 for US$129.95 as the successor to Mac OS X Panther , which had been released 18 months earlier...
"Tiger", and provides definitions and synonyms from the New Oxford American Dictionary, 2nd Edition
New Oxford American Dictionary
The New Oxford American Dictionary is a single-volume dictionary of American English compiled by American editors at the Oxford University Press....
and Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, 2nd Edition. It also includes Wikipedia and a section called Apple which includes Apple related items.
History
OS X's progenitor, OPENSTEPOpenStep
OpenStep was an object-oriented application programming interface specification for an object-oriented operating system that used a non-NeXTSTEP operating system as its core, principally developed by NeXT with Sun Microsystems. OPENSTEP was a specific implementation of the OpenStep API developed...
(and NEXTSTEP
NEXTSTEP
NeXTSTEP was the object-oriented, multitasking operating system developed by NeXT Computer to run on its range of proprietary workstation computers, such as the NeXTcube...
) provided similar functionality, called Digital Webster, providing dictionary
Dictionary
A dictionary is a collection of words in one or more specific languages, often listed alphabetically, with usage information, definitions, etymologies, phonetics, pronunciations, and other information; or a book of words in one language with their equivalents in another, also known as a lexicon...
and thesaurus
Thesaurus
A thesaurus is a reference work that lists words grouped together according to similarity of meaning , in contrast to a dictionary, which contains definitions and pronunciations...
definitions from Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary and Webster's Collegiate Thesaurus
Webster's Dictionary
Webster's Dictionary refers to the line of dictionaries first developed by Noah Webster in the early 19th century, and also to numerous unrelated dictionaries that added Webster's name just to share his prestige. The term is a genericized trademark in the U.S.A...
(termed the "First Digital Edition"). OPENSTEP Services provide lookup from all applications.
Functionality
Words can be entered in the search bar by just typing the first few letters. The application will perform an incremental search to show any matching headwords or forms, and will try to bypass spelling errors. Clicking on any word in a definition searches for that word in the dictionary again. Almost any word is clickable, except the pronunciations in phonetic characters and numerals.The Preferences allow a user to select from three different pronunciation schemes, either US English (Diacritical or IPA), or British English (IPA).
The dictionary and thesaurus in Dictionary are in an XML
XML
Extensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....
format, but make use of precompiled binary index files to access the XML file directly. Therefore, the lexicon
Lexicon
In linguistics, the lexicon of a language is its vocabulary, including its words and expressions. A lexicon is also a synonym of the word thesaurus. More formally, it is a language's inventory of lexemes. Coined in English 1603, the word "lexicon" derives from the Greek "λεξικόν" , neut...
cannot be modified. However, the user can add new words to the Mac OS X system-wide spell checker, which uses its own lexicon.
Quick access
- In applications which support "Services", there is an option in the application menu (for example, Safari>Services>Look up in Dictionary) which brings up the Dictionary application and displays the definition of a selected word. The same option appears in the contextual menu after a Control-click on the selected word.
- The key combination ⌃Control keyIn computing, a Control key is a modifier key which, when pressed in conjunction with another key, will perform a special operation ; similar to the Shift key, the Control key rarely performs any function when pressed by itself...
⌘Command keyThe Command key, also historically known as the Apple key, open-Apple key or meta key is a modifier key present on Apple Keyboards. The Command key's purpose is to allow the user to enter keyboard shortcut commands to GUI applications...
D can be used in Cocoa applications which display text – it brings up a small contextual menu-like definition or synonym of the word under the cursorCursor (computers)In computing, a cursor is an indicator used to show the position on a computer monitor or other display device that will respond to input from a text input or pointing device. The flashing text cursor may be referred to as a caret in some cases...
. - In applications which support the ability of the user to drag selected text, it is possibile to select a word and drop it onto the icon of the Dictionary application in the Dock.
- DashboardDashboardA dashboard is a control panel placed in front of the driver of an automobile, housing instrumentation and controls for operation of the vehicle....
includes a widget for accessing the Dictionary application. - Mac OS X catches any queries to the
dict:///URI scheme, say from a web browser, and routes them back to the Dictionary application.
Other languages
As of Mac OS X Leopard, the application includes the Japanese-language dictionary DaijisenDaijisen
The is a general-purpose Japanese dictionary published by Shogakukan in 1995 and 1998. It was designed as an "all-in-one" dictionary for native speakers of Japanese, especially high school and university students.-History:...
, Progressive English to Japanese and Progressive Japanese to English dictionaries, and the 25,000-word thesaurus , all of which are provided by the Japanese publisher Shogakukan
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...
. The Japanese dictionaries do not show up by default, and must be enabled in Preferences.
Software such as DictUnifier can be used to add more dictionaries to the application.
Wikipedia
Leopard also introduced the use of WikipediaWikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
. However, since the redesign of Wikipedia in the first quarter of 2010, and for participants in the usability study in late 2009, the scrolling functionality of Wikipedia in Dictionary did not work. No scrollbars were present, and users were not able to scroll to parts of the article outside of the constraints of the window size upon loading a Wikipedia article. This error has been fixed since the release of Mac OS X 10.6.5 on November 10, 2010.
Debatable entries
The thesaurus entry for "democracy" used to have, as its usage sentence, "a democracy in Iraq is quite unlikely for now or any time soon." Some have claimed this was a political comment added by an Apple programmer; however, Oxford University PressOxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
has confirmed that this statement originates from their corpora, not Apple's, and was not meant to have a political interpretation. Under Mac OS X Snow Leopard, the sentence has been replaced with the following: "freedom of speech is essential to democracy."