First Known Use: circa 1823
Dictionary
thesaurus
noun the·sau·rus \thi-ˈsȯr-əs\
: a book in which words that have the same or similar meanings are grouped together
plural the·sau·ri\-ˈsȯr-ˌī, -ˌē\ or the·sau·rus·es\-ˈsȯr-ə-səz\
Full Definition of THESAURUS
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a : a book of words or of information about a particular field or set of concepts; especially : a book of words and their synonyms b : a list of subject headings or descriptors usually with a cross-reference system for use in the organization of a collection of documents for reference and retrieval
— the·sau·ral \-ˈsȯr-əl\ adjective
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Origin of THESAURUS
New Latin, from Latin, treasure, collection, from Greek thēsauros
THESAURUS Defined for Kids
thesaurus
noun the·sau·rus \thi-ˈsȯr-əs\
plural the·sau·ri \-ˈsȯr-ˌī, -ˌē\ or the·sau·rus·es \-ˈsȯr-ə-səz\
Definition of THESAURUS for Kids
: a book of words and their synonyms
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