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Names for the levels of a dictionary entry

English Language & Usage Asked by lowndrul on May 15, 2021

What are the names for the different "levels" of a dictionary entry, especially for the Oxford English Dictionary entries displayed by Google?

E.g., I find a LOT of levels in the dictionary entry for the word like. I’ll give this a shot:

  • "word", (e.g., "like".)
  • "homographs", (e.g., "like^1", "like^2", "liked^3". Indicated by "^*". From what I can tell, this is the level at which etymologies are provided)
  • "parts of speech", (e.g., "preposition". Indicated by italics.)
  • "definitions", (e.g., "1. having the same characteristics or qualities…". Indicated by a tab, and a number if more than one.)
  • "specifications" or "sub-definitions", (e.g., "in the manner of". Indicated by two tabs and a bullet)

Does this sound right? Any important edge cases I’m missing here?

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