Diccionaris

Diccionaris are reference works that collect the words of a language along with their meanings, pronunciations, grammatical information, and usage notes. They can be monolingual, presenting definitions in the same language, or bilingual and specialized for particular language pairs or domains. In Catalan, the plural diccionaris refers to such works used for learning, standardization, translation, and linguistic research.

Historically, lexicography moved from handwritten glossaries to printed dictionaries in the early modern period. A landmark for Catalan is Pompeu Fabra’s Diccionari General de la Llengua Catalana (1932), which helped establish modern Catalan norms. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Catalan lexicography continued with updated or new works published by linguistic institutions, such as the Institut d'Estudis Catalans, and through ongoing digital projects.

Entries in diccionaris typically include the headword, phonetic or orthographic guidance, part of speech, one or more senses with definitions, etymology, inflections or morpho-syntactic information, and usage examples. Many diccionaris also offer synonyms, antonyms, idioms, regional variants, and cross-references. Specialized dictionaries cover domains such as law, medicine, or technology; bilingual or multilingual dictionaries aid translation and language learning.

With the rise of digital media, diccionaris are increasingly online and accessible via apps and web services. Digital dictionaries often add audio pronunciations, example sentences, frequency data, and search features that handle inflection and derivation. Open and community-driven projects, including Wiktionary, complement traditional reference works and support ongoing language documentation and education.