Word Meaningfor explaining other words (CIDE p. 1702).
Exercise
Discuss the defining vocabularies of at least two other learners’ dictionar-
ies.
Native speaker dictionaries assume that their users have a much larger
vocabulary, although the fact that modern dictionaries typically include
even the most basic words means that they must define these words in less
basic terms. For example:
hole 1 a hollow or hollowed-out place; cavity; specif., a) an excava-
tion or pit... (WNWD p. 668)If possible, a single word equivalent, that is, a synonym, may be used:
to boot besides (WNWD p. 163)
apteryx same as kiwi (WNWD p. 69)
agree 1. to consent or accede (WNWD p. 27)
Synonymy is usually defined as words that have the same meaning, though
it is very unlikely that any two words will have exactly the same meaning. In
her lively and lucid study Words in the Mind, Jean Aitchison (2003, 3rd ed.)
observes that we tend to pursue something desirable (e.g., knowledge, a career)
but chase things such as runaway horses (p. 94). For some speakers, chasing
evokes the notion of speed, while pursuing does not necessarily do so. Syn-
onyms thus have to be thought of as two “circles of meaning” that overlap to
a greater or lesser extent.
Partial synonymy is much more common than full synonymy. Typically,
synonyms are distinguished by subtle meaning differences that challenge
lexicographers, linguists, and second language learners, though generally
not native speakers. Usage labels may help to distinguish among partial syn-
onyms: words may differ in style (to stick to something is neutral, to cleave to
something is poetic), or in the places where they are typically used (elevator is
US usage, lift is British).