What Is The Glossary Used For?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Sometimes called the idioticon, vocabulary, or clavis, the glossary is essentially

a book’s personal dictionary

. Utilizing one in your book is a great way to define, list, and expand upon unfamiliar, made up, or intricate terms used in the book. The glossary is found in the back matter of the book.

What is an example of a glossary?

The definition of glossary is a list of words and their meanings.

The alphabetical listing of difficult words in the back of a book

is an example of a glossary. … A term used by Microsoft Word and adopted by other word processors for the list of shorthand, keyboard macros created by a particular user.

What is a glossary and why is it important?

While especially critical for technical translations and marketing content, a glossary

lays the foundation for consistent, high-quality translations of any kind

. Ultimately, a glossary not only saves you time and money, it also helps ensure your brand’s success across languages and cultures.

How does a glossary help you?

A glossary

helps users know the right words so that they can be effective with their searches

. … In other words, unless you know the terms you’re looking for, and can articulate them correctly, it will be hard to find them through search. In some cases, the term is not a mystery.

What should a glossary include?

A glossary is a list of terms that traditionally appears at the end of an academic paper, a thesis, a book, or an article. The glossary should

contain definitions for terms in the main text that may be unfamiliar or unclear to the average reader

.

How do you write a good glossary?

  1. Meet your audiences’ needs. The entries in a glossary aren’t for your, they’re for the reader. …
  2. Use plain language. …
  3. Don’t use the word in the definition. …
  4. Include synonyms, antonyms and examples. …
  5. Provide pronunciation tips.

What is the difference between glossary and index?

A glossary is a list of words or a word list. On the other hand, an index refers to

alphabetical listing of important words

. This is the main difference between the two words. Glossary is usually added at the end of a chapter or a lesson in a book or a text book respectively.

What is the primary use of glossary?

It contains

a small working vocabulary and definitions for important or frequently encountered concepts

, usually including idioms or metaphors useful in a culture.

Does a glossary go at the front or back?

You place the

glossary at the beginning of the document

, just after the table of contents (or, if applicable, the list of figures or list of abbreviations). … This method saves the reader the work of flipping back to the glossary.

What is the first word in the glossary?

by Jeremy Butterfield.In Loanwords, Word origins. 7 Comments. … Ask anyone which word comes first in an English dictionary, and they will assuredly answer “

aardvark“

.

Do you need a glossary?

No, unless you are writing a textbook and wish to include a list of “key terms,” and even then

you should still have one complete glossary at the end of your book

. Should I include references (where I got the term explanations from) in my glossary?

What comes first glossary or appendix?

Put the glossary

after any appendices and before the index

. EDIT: This advice is simply based on a very quick survey of the textbooks that I had close to hand.

How do you keep a glossary?

  1. Avoid duplicate entries. …
  2. Do not turn your glossary into a general-purpose dictionary. …
  3. Indicate the context of your terms. …
  4. A glossary can also include a list of not to be translated terms (NTBTs). …
  5. Add definitions for terms.

Does a glossary have to be in alphabetical order?

Glossaries may be formatted in a number of ways, but

generally terms are listed in alphabetical order with their definitions

, and a line space separates each entry. They are generally placed before notes and works-cited lists and may appear as part of an appendix before those items.

What is a glossary entry?

The purpose of the glossary entry topic.

Defining terminology in a glossary ensures that a team of writers uses the same term for the same concept

. A glossary added to a book or available online in conjunction with other subject matter provides the reader with definitions of unfamiliar terms and expands acronyms.

Where does the glossary go in a document?

“A glossary is a list of technical terms or abbreviations that may be unfamiliar to some readers. Those terms used more than once should be listed in a glossary, which is usually placed before the bibliography, i.e. towards the end, but can be

place at the end of the preliminary pages

(if it is a short glossary).

Juan Martinez
Author
Juan Martinez
Juan Martinez is a journalism professor and experienced writer. With a passion for communication and education, Juan has taught students from all over the world. He is an expert in language and writing, and has written for various blogs and magazines.