Should you’re sitting at your Linux pc and feeling interested in some phrase or time period, you don’t have to leap up and seize a dictionary. As an alternative, you possibly can set up the dict command and also you’ll most likely be amazed by the wealth of knowledge that might be accessible to you on the command line.
It is possible for you to to search out a number of definitions for almost any time period you ask about, usually with appreciable depth. Simply trying up the phrase “seven”, I used to be supplied with 4 definitions. They included references to the Pleiades (a star cluster that’s also called the “Seven Sisters”), a point out of the seven wonders of the world, scriptural references to the quantity seven, a be aware about what number of days are in every week, and an evidence that seven is one better than six.
The dict command is among the most generally used command-line dictionaries accessible on Linux and one of the crucial far reaching; it reaches out to get info from dictionaries which can be scattered across the globe.
Easy methods to use dict to search out definititions
To put in dict, use a command like one of many following relying in your Linux distribution:
$ sudo dnf set up dictd $ sudo apt-get set up dictd
After putting in dict myself, I used the command beneath to depend the variety of dictionaries accessible to me:
$ dict -D | wc -l 167
The output does features a heading, however that’s nonetheless quite a lot of assets. The dict -D command will present the record of dictionaries accessible to you. Right here’s the highest of the record offered once I requested:
$ dict -D | head -11 Databases accessible: gcide The Collaborative Worldwide Dictionary of English v.0.48 wn WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) moby-thesaurus Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 components The Components (07Nov00) vera V.E.R.A. -- Digital Entity of Related Acronyms (February 2016) jargon The Jargon File (model 4.4.7, 29 Dec 2003) foldoc The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (30 December 2018) easton Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary hitchcock Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (late 1800's) bouvier Bouvier's Legislation Dictionary, Revised sixth Ed (1856)
One of many first issues I requested about was Linux itself. Discover that the definitions embrace pronunciations together with the definitions. NOTE: The output beneath is truncated in a number of locations.
$ dict Linux
3 definitions discovered
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
Linux
n 1: an open-source model of the UNIX working system
From The Jargon File (model 4.4.7, 29 Dec 2003) [jargon]:
Linux
/lee'nuhks/, /li?nuks/, not, /li:?nuhks/, n.
The free Unix workalike created by Linus Torvalds and pals beginning
about 1991. The pronunciation /li'nuhks/ is most popular as a result of the title
?Linus? has an /ee/ sound in Swedish (Linus's household is a part of Finland's
6% ethnic-Swedish minority) and Linus considers English quick /i/ to be
nearer to /ee/ than English lengthy /i:/. This can be probably the most exceptional
hacker undertaking in historical past ? a whole clone of Unix for 386, 486 and
Pentium micros, distributed totally free with sources over the web (ports to
Alpha and Sparc and plenty of different machines are additionally in use).
…
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (30 December 2018) [foldoc]:
Linux
<working system> ("Linus Unix") /li'nuks/ (however see beneath)
An implementation of the {Unix} {kernel} initially written
from scratch with no proprietary code.
The kernel runs on {Intel} and {Alpha} {hardware} within the normal
launch, with {SPARC}, {PowerPC}, {MIPS}, {ARM}, {Amiga},
{Atari}, and {SGI} in energetic growth. The SPARC, PowerPC,
ARM, {PowerMAC} - {OSF}, and 68k ports all help {shells},
{X} and {networking}. The Intel and SPARC variations have
dependable {symmetric multiprocessing}.
Work on the kernel is coordinated by Linus Torvalds, who holds
the copyright on a big a part of it. The remainder of the
copyright is held by numerous different contributors (or
their employers). Whatever the copyright ownerships, the
kernel as a complete is out there underneath the {GNU} {Common Public
License}. The GNU undertaking helps Linux as its kernel till
the analysis {Hurd} kernel is accomplished.
…
{Extra on pronunciation (/pub/misc/linux-pronunciation)}.
{LinuxHQ (http://linuxhq.com/)}. {slashdot
(http://slashdot.org/)}. {freshmeat (http://freshmeat.web/)}.
{Woven Items (http://fokus.gmd.de/linux/)}. {Linux
Gazette (http://ssc.com/lg)}.
{funet Linux Archive (ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/Linux)}, {US
mirror (ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/)}, {UK Mirror
(ftp://sunsite.doc.ic.ac.uk/packages/Linux/)}.
(2000-06-09)
You can too entry the numerous definitions accessible by going by a browser to dict.org/bin/Dict.
Translating phrases with the dict command
Along with trying up phrases or phrases, you utilize the dict command to translate some phrases and phrases into another languages. Right here’s an instance that interprets from English to French:
$ dict -d fd-eng-fra "thanks" 1 definition discovered From English-French FreeDict Dictionary ver. 0.1.6 [fd-eng-fra]: thanks /θæŋkjau/ <== pronunciation for "thanks" merci
Be aware that the English pronunciation is supplied utilizing the phonetic alphabet. You could find a reference for English phonemes at phonetic chart.
This subsequent instance interprets “thanks” into German:
$ dict -d fd-eng-deu "thanks" 1 definition discovered From English-German FreeDict Dictionary ver. 0.3.7 [fd-eng-deu]: thanks /θæŋkjau/ Danke, danke gleichfalls
The response will depend upon whether or not the sources comprise translations for the actual phrase or phrase you’re asking about. Most phrases will seemingly not be accessible.
$ dict -d fd-eng-fra "Why not?" No definitions discovered for "Why not?"
To record the languages, you should utilize for translations from English, use this command:
$ dict -D | grep fd-eng-
To view all the accessible translation sources, use this command:
$ dict -D | grep fd-
The “fd” seems to face for “FreeDict”, the supply of the translations.
To make use of a particular server, use -h or –host
$ dict -h dict.org blissful
5 definitions discovered
From The Collaborative Worldwide Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Completely happy Hap"py (h[a^]p"p[y^]), a. [Compar. {Happier}
(-p[i^]*[~e]r); superl. {Happiest}.] [From {Hap} chance.]
1. Favored by hap, luck, or fortune; fortunate; lucky;
profitable; affluent; satisfying need; as, a cheerful
expedient; a cheerful effort; a cheerful enterprise; a cheerful omen.
[1913 Webster]
…
To make use of a particular database, use -d or –database.
$ dict -d components helium 1 definition discovered From The Components (07Nov00) [elements]: helium Image: He Atomic quantity: 2 Atomic weight: 4.0026 Colourless, odourless gaseous nonmetallic component. Belongs to group 18 of the periodic desk. Lowest boiling level of all components and may solely be solidified underneath stress. Chemically inert, no identified compounds. Found within the photo voltaic spectrum in 1868 by Lockyer.
Wrap-Up
The Linux dict command can present quite a lot of info. Don’t neglect to check out the person web page to discover the numerous different choices that the command offers.
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