wikt

Wikt is a common shorthand for Wiktionary, the free dictionary project operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Wiktionary is a collaboratively edited, multilingual dictionary and thesaurus that aims to document word meanings, pronunciations, etymologies, spellings, inflections, and translations across languages. It serves as a companion to Wikipedia and shares its underlying MediaWiki software, organization, and community-driven model.

The project hosts separate language editions, each compiling lexical data for its language community. Entries typically include definitions or glosses, parts of speech, pronunciation guides, etymologies, example sentences, translation tables, and sometimes audio pronunciations. Content is created and edited by volunteers around the world, with guidelines designed to improve reliability, verifiability, and usefulness for language learning, translation, and linguistic research.

Wiktionary content is released under free licenses that permit redistribution and reuse, reflecting the broader Wikimedia commitment to freely accessible knowledge. The platform emphasizes open collaboration and has governance and policy mechanisms implemented through its community pages, with coordination through the Wikimedia Foundation and the Wiktionary volunteer community.

In practice, many Wikimedia projects use the wikt prefix as a linking convention to point to Wiktionary entries from other wikis. For example, a link or interwiki reference such as wikt:word directs readers to the Wiktionary page for that term. Beyond individual entries, Wiktionary also supports cross-language connections, giving users access to multilingual definitions and translations.

Overall, wikt functions as a cornerstone resource within the Wikimedia ecosystem, providing lexical data that complements encyclopedic content with language-focused reference material.