4 Easy Ways to Find Meaning of Any Word with Google
Ofter while reading online, we need to find simple meaning of some complex word. For example, while reading about unfamiliar topics or in-depth article from McKinsey Quarterly, we may find some unfamiliar words in course and then we leave/misunderstand them due to lack of time. This is not at all advisable as a little misunderstanding with a word can change the complete meaning of the sentence.
Being a Google oriented blog, we will solve with this concern with available Google tools. Here are 4 easiest ways to find meaning of any word:
1. The Easiest Way – Using Google Dictionary
For any word, the simplest tool to use Google Dictionary. It is a dedicated site for finding word meanings, definitions, related phrases, synonyms and pronunciations. It also offers word bookmarking for remembering complex words and translations for better understanding.
Note: Dictionary may not work in all countries. In that case try – http://www.google.ca/dictionary
2. Using define Operator in Google Search
Do you know that you instantaneously find the web meaning of any word by searching it on Google with define prefix. For example, try define:endogamy .
To use this method, just write define: before your search word in Firefox Search Box or Chrome Omnibar (Address bar)and press Enter. You will be surprised to see its simplicity and usefulness.
Related: Google Search Prefixes for better redefined results.
3. Use Browser Addon or Extension
This method is quite preferable as you don’t have to leave the page to check any word meaning. You can keep on reading and to find any word definition, just double click on it for fancy in-page popup.
For Chrome, here is the official extension available from the Google team which works perfectly.
For Firefox, try “Google Dictionary and Google Translate” addon. Though it is a third party addon, but words equally great.
4. Hack Firefox Address Bar Default Behavior
Previously, we have written about turning Firefox address bar into word lookup dictionary. You can use this hack to directly jump to result page of Google Dictionary.
Mostly I use define: prefix in Google. Its easy, convenient and fast. Which method will you use? Tell us in your comments.
cURL is a command line tool for transferring files and data using URL syntax. It supports a lot of protocols such as DICT, FILE, FTP, FTPS, Gopher, HTTP, HTTPS, IMAP, IMAPS, LDAP, LDAPS, POP3, POP3S, RTMP, RTSP, SCP, SFTP, SMTP, SMTPS, Telnet and TFTP.
In this example we are going to use cURL as a dictionary lookup tool.
First, you need to install the cURL package:
sudo apt-get install curlThe Dictionary Server Protocol (DICT) is a TCP protocol that enables a user to access dictionary definitions from a set of dictionary databases.
To search the meaning of any word, simply type this command in a terminal window:
curl dict://dict.org/lookup:computerThis command will output the following lines:
151 "Computer" gcide "The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48"
Computer Com*put"er (k[o^]m*p[=u]t"[~e]r), n.
1. One who computes. 2. (Computers) an electronic device for performing
calculations automatically. It consists of a clock to
provide voltage pulses to synchronize the operations of
the devices within the computer, a central processing
unit, where the arithmetical and logical operations are
performed on data, a random-access memory, where the
programs and data are stored for rapid access, devices to
input data and output results, and various other
peripheral devices of widely varied function, as well as
circuitry to support the main operations.
As you can see in the example above, the definition of the word «computer» is taken from The Collaborative International Dictionary Of English. To see the available databases, run this command:
curl dict://dict.org/show:dbFor example, if you want to show results only from the WordNet 3.0 dictionary, use this command:
curl dict://dict.org/lookup:YOURWORD:wnAdvanced use:
You can use strategies to narrow the search results:
curl dict://dict.org/m:SUFFIX:wn:suffixThis command will return a list of words that contain the suffix SUFFIX. Similarly, you can use the PREFIX strategy to get a list of words that begin with a prefix of your choice. To get a list of the available strategies, use this command:
curl dict://dict.org/show:stratHow to Guess What a Word Means
Need to know what a new word means now? Did you know the English language has over 1,000,000 words? Yet the average adult learner has a vocabulary of only 40,000-50,000 words. With so many words out there, how can you learn them all? There are various strategies that you can learn which will help you to deduce what a word means. Yes, you could just look them up in an English dictionary; but, studies show that you most likely won’t remember the word after a while. However, by making your brain figure it out, a trail of understanding is left and you are more likely to remember the meaning, thus improving your vocabulary!
Perhaps you are taking a standardized test and are being asked about particular words. These strategies will help you immensely! We also provide some example sentences to help find the meaning of the word needed or of any individual words you need help with.
Context — If the word is used in a sentence, look at the other words and see if they give you clues to the word’s meaning. This may help to guess, at least, part of the word’s meaning.
EX. «‘Proximal’ refers to points on the body that are close to the torso, as opposed to ‘distal.
Given the context of the sentence, we can see the word «opposed» which means «to be opposite of.» If ‘proximal’ is opposite of ‘distal’ we can conclude that the word distal likely is used to refer to parts of the body that are far from the torso, like fingers. At this point, you can look in the dictionary to check our guess. You can also look at similar antonyms or synonyms for meaning of the new or unfamiliar words as well. While most English words act as idioms, the meaning of a word can be tricky if you are learning English or are learning more advanced words. Collocations can also help in the word meaning process by using context clues to find the correct answer or meaning to the word’s meaning.
STRUCTURE- Probably the most important skill when it comes to understanding words. The internal structure of words is called morphology. Morphology consists of morphemes—which are minimal units of meaning, rules for combining them into words, and rules for pronouncing the resulting words. For this article, we will keep it simple and go over a few key things.
Using your understanding of morphology helps you break down a word into smaller pieces so that you can guess what it means. For example, let’s use a nonsense word, say, POIB.
*What would POIB-able mean? (Capable of being POIBed)
*What is the word class of POIB-able? (Adjective)
*So, what is the word class of POIB? (Verb)
This exercise is to show how we can make some assumptions about the word we don’t know simply by how it is used in the sentence and what affixes are attached to it (affixes are a type of morpheme). This is how we can tell the word’s word class: noun, verb, adjective, adverb, etc.
MORPHEME- A morpheme may be a word or less than a word. (EX. nation, re-, -al). Morphemes cannot be broken down into smaller units.
TYPES OF MORPHEMES- Prefixes, Suffixes, Infixes, Plurals, Possessives, and base(root) words.
**Free morphemes are words that can stand on their own and have meaning.
For example, «nation» does not require a prefix or a suffix attached to it to make sense. It’s a word by itself.
**Bound Morphemes cannot stand on their own and must be attached to another morpheme to create a word.
For example, «dental»= dent + al. Together they make a word, but neither «dent» nor «al» are words themselves. All affixes are boundmorphemes. Some base (root) words are bound.
AFFIXES — anything that is added to a base (root) word. Determine how the affix affects the base (root) word it is attached to.
*Examples of affixes that change word class (i.e. from a verb to adverb)-er, -ly, -al, -y, -ish
*Examples of affixes that add to meaning of the base (root) word.anti-, omni-, re-, -s, -ed, dis-
***There are only about 75 prefixes in English. There are less suffixes. Memorize them.
Now that you understand what a morpheme is. The next step is to take your word and try to break it down into morphemes. Let’s use the word «predetermined» as our example. Predetermined= pre + determine + ed
We may know that the base (root) word ‘determine’ means to decide; the prefix ‘pre’ means before, and the suffix ‘ed’ is used to mean the past tense of a verb.
Therefore, «predetermined» would mean to have already decided the outcome of something before it happened.
Another example: quadruped = quadru + ped, meaning four feet. Both «quad» and «ped» are bound morphemes that must be attached to another morpheme to create a word.
KNOW YOUR ROOTS — Sometimes after you break down your word, you still may not know the meaning because you don’t know what the base (root) word means. Let’s say that you didn’t know the above root word «ped» was a Greek origin word meaning ‘feet.’ How could you try to guess what it meant?
*Think of other words you know that have «ped» in them?
- What do these words have in common?
EX. pedestal, pedal, pedestrian, millipede
You guessed it, FEET!
With the strategies above you can usually guess what a word means. If you are taking a test, use what you’ve assumed about the word to help with the process of elimination. Looking at word lists can also help in the meaning process.
Happy vocabulary building!
There are a few things that can help you estimate the meaning of a word, even if you have never read or heard it before. If you are taking a standardized test and will be asked about particular words, if you are learning English or if you just want to expand your vocabulary these strategies will help you immensely. Use the words around the unfamiliar word to help you guess the meaning, or use your knowledge of suffixes and prefixes to help you estimate the meaning of the new word. By figuring out the meaning of a new word, you may be more likely to remember the meaning and the new word.
Sound out the unfamiliar word if you are reading it. A word that seems unfamiliar at first may be a word you already know once you hear it out loud.
Look at the other words in the sentence to see if they give you clues to the new word’s meaning. This is called «context,» and may help you guess at part of the word’s meaning. For example, «proximal» refers to points on the body that are close to the torso, as opposed to «distal.» Here you can see the words «opposed to» which mean «to be opposite.» If «proximal» is the opposite of «distal,» you can conclude that the word «distal» likely is used to refer to parts of the body that are far from the torso such as fingers.
Break the new word down into its smallest parts. These small parts are called «morphemes.» A morpheme may be a word or less than a word. For example, «nation,» «re-,» and «-al» are all morphemes. Morphemes cannot be broken down into smaller units. There are many types of morphemes including prefixes, suffixes and root words. Free morphemes are words that can stand on their own and still have meaning. For example, «nation» does not require a prefix or a suffix attached to it to make sense. It’s a word by itself. Bound morphemes cannot stand on their own and must be attached to another morpheme to create a word. For example, the «s» in the word «dogs» is a bound morpheme. Without the word «dog,» the «s» has no meaning.
Learn about the structure of English words. English words have their roots in Greek, Latin and Germanic languages. Sometimes after you break down your word, you still may not know the meaning because you don’t know what the root word means. For example, let’s say you read the word «millipede.» There are two roots in this word. The root word «ped» is a word of Latin origin meaning «feet.» You can guess what it means by thinking of other words that have the root «ped.» You might think of «pedestal,» «pedal» and «pedestrian.» From these words, you can guess that your new word has something to do with feet. You might guess that «mille» has something to do with «million,» and you’d be on the right track. It means «thousand,» but in this word just means «many.» So, a millipede is something with many legs. If you check your dictionary, you will find that a millipede is an insect with many legs. This means you guessed most of the meaning of the word simply from looking at the root words.
Learn English affixes. Anything that is added to the beginning or end of a root word is an affix. Affixes include suffixes, prefixes and pluralization. Knowing the affixes can help you determine how the affix affects the root word it is attached to. Some affixes change the word class, for example from a verb to adverb. These include affixes like «-er,» «-ly» and «-ish.» Some affixes add to the meaning of the root word. These include affixes like «anti-,» «re-» and «-ed.» While it may take some time to learn them all, by breaking words down into morphemes you will begin to recognize which are affixes and which are roots. For example, let’s use the word «predetermined» as an example. «Predetermined» is made up of the prefix «pre,» the root «determine» and the suffix «ed.» You may know that the root word «determine» means to decide, the prefix «pre» means before and the suffix «ed» is used to mean the past tense of a verb. Therefore, «predetermined» means to have already decided the outcome of something before it happened.
Tip
Read. The more you read, the more words you will know, without even realizing it. Keep your dictionary on hand, so you can check your guesses.
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Where can I search for words using descriptive sentences? For example, now I’m looking for a word meaning «to purify (by hand) a quantity of grain and take away anything that isn’t good grain.»
How could I get words like that? I know it in my first-language, but I don’t have a classic version of it to use in automatic translators.
Maybe a search engine that uses content words from my description and offers words that could mean the same with their dictionary definitions. Nothing I’d tried in (translate.)google.com gave me the desired result.
Update:
An example dictionary that I use is (Oxford’s Word-Power Dictionary). It’s not for the purpose of the question but for clarification.
Oxford’s has a 3,000 word list of ‘bare-bone-essentials.’ It contains the most-used words in English and all of the grammatical operators. Ideally, these are the words necessary for a learner to use an English-English dictionary such as Oxford’s. The descriptions of words in Oxford’s rely on this list for definitions.
An electronic (web-based) dictionary for word-meaning-search should have a larger list (maybe 10,000) and use a thesaurus to down-level difficult words a user may use in the search then, using all content words in the search phrase, present a list of words whose definitions seem appropriate. Another regular dictionary may be used from there.
-
Example:
Search query: «to use hands to purify a quantity of grain taking away anything that isn’t good grain.»
Content Words: «use-hands; purify; quantity-of-grain; taking-away; anything; isn’t; good-grain»
Filtered: «use-hands; clean; quantity-of-seeds; take-away;anything; not-good-grain»
Words: «1; 2; 3; 4» that use the content words to varying degrees.
And that’s a five minutes’ work!
PS. Sorry about the delay; connection problems…