We explain what a glossary is, what types exist and in which areas they are used. Also, how it differs from a dictionary.
What is a glossary?
A glossary or vocabulary is called a set or catalog of definitions, explanations or clarifications of words, arranged alphabetically and that have to do with the same topic, area or matter of interest.
It is common to find them at the end of texts specialized, encyclopedias or other types of documents. Its objective is to provide the reader with clarifications about the terms that may not be known, especially if they are specific or specialized uses that require some explanation and context minimum.
Glossaries consist of organic and organized sets of words, intended for quick and easy reading. reference: it's not usual read glossaries, but look for something specific in them. In addition, the words chosen to integrate a glossary are those that can be confusing, that are very difficult or infrequent, or that respond to creative uses of the language, since they are usually chosen and clarified by the author himself.
Thus, it is possible to use a glossary when dealing with a specific topic, a specific author or a very particular documentary field. For example, there are glossaries of medicine, glossaries of organic chemistry, basic glossaries of computing or even glossaries dedicated to the work of a particular philosopher or thinker, designed to make life easier for those who study it.
The term glossary comes from Latin gloss, “Foreign word” or “obsolete word”, and it was in common use (glossarium) to refer to collections of old or rare words, of common elaboration from the second century.
Glossary types
There are thousands of forms and presentations of a glossary, since one is developed for each specific area that needs it. Although in general there is no universal classification in which absolutely all glossaries take place, they can be differentiated between:
- Specialized glossaries, accompanying technical documents or aimed at a very specific audience.
- Common glossaries, which are aimed at a wider, lay audience.
Difference between glossary and dictionary
Glossaries and dictionaries have the same objective: to clarify terms, concepts and uses of words, thus assisting the reader in need of a quick reference.
For one thing, dictionaries tend to have a broad focus, attempting to exhaust a idiom (or, as in the case of specialized dictionaries, a technical or professional jargon), including as many words as possible. On the other hand, glossaries are dedicated only to words that really require an explanation, either because they are novel or infrequent, or because they arise from a very particular use or meaning of a common word.
Thus, dictionaries are broad and universal, even when they are specialized dictionaries (such as a Latin-Spanish dictionary, or a medical dictionary), which is why they usually exist separately and are edited independently.
For their part, glossaries are always dependent on another document that precedes them, such as a thesis, an encyclopedia or a work of research, and that is why they usually focus only on the terms and concepts relevant to the reading of said document.