A glossary of special, unusual, or technical words or expressions is an alphabetical list of them giving their meanings, for example at the end of a book on a particular subject.
glossary in British English
(ˈɡlɒsərɪ)
nounWord forms: plural-ries
an alphabetical list of terms peculiar to a field of knowledge with definitions or explanations
Sometimes called: gloss
Derived forms
glossarial (ɡlɒˈsɛərɪəl)
adjective
glossarially (glosˈsarially)
adverb
glossarist (ˈglossarist)
noun
Word origin
C14: from Late Latin glossārium; see gloss2
glossary in American English
(ˈglɔsəri; ˈglɑsərə)
nounWord forms: pluralˈglossaries
a list of difficult, technical, or foreign terms with definitions or translations, as for some particular author, field of knowledge, etc., often included in alphabetical listing at the end of a textbook
Derived forms
glossarial (glosˈsarial) (glɔˈsɛriəl; glɑˈsɛriəl)
adjective
glossarist (ˈglossarist)
noun
Word origin
ME glosarie < L glossarium < glossa: see gloss2
Examples of 'glossary' in a sentence
glossary
They accompany this show not with a conventional catalogue of explanatory texts but with a glossary of terms.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
And she provides a helpful glossary.
The Times Literary Supplement (2010)
Exhibit 14.1 provides a glossary of key terms.
Tompkins, Jonathan Human Resource Management in Government (1995)
We have given below a short glossary of terms that doctors and drug specialists might use and terms that are in wide popular use.
Cohen, Julian & Kay, James Taking Drugs Seriously (1994)
A helpful glossary of basic financial terms is included.
Christianity Today (2000)
At the other end, the book 's extensive glossary and references make this a useful resource.
The Times Literary Supplement (2013)
Join using a basic running stitch ( see glossary online for details).
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
So before we continue, here's a helpful glossary which you may want to clip and save for the cinema trip.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Word lists with
glossary
parts of a book
In other languages
glossary
British English: glossary NOUN
A glossary of special, unusual, or technical words or expressions is an alphabetical list of them giving their meanings.
A glossary of terms is included for the reader's convenience.