Wikidictionary
- For the Wiki Dictionary, see Wiktionary
Before continuing, let me say that I firmly agree with the policy on Wikipedia NOT being a dictionary. However, one of my favourite sites is Infoplease [1], which includes a dictionary. What makes it work is that the search engine clearly labels the source of the items (Encyclopedia vs dictionary).
So one day, I would love to see a Wikidictionary, interlinked with the Wikipedia and sharing a common search engine (that was able to label retrieved items accordingly). I would definitely want it under a separate domain, with it's own environment, because I wouldn't even want them to link together until it was worth a damn. I think it ties in with the concept of the Wikipedia being a "resource of knowledge". Anyway, that's just my opinion. Let me repeat - I am NOT interested in turning the 'pedia into a dictionary as well - this would be a separate project under a common banner. - MMGB
An old idea...the work is already being done, I think, under an open content license. Anybody remember where? How about an URL? --Larry_Sanger
Excluding indications of pronunciation and grammar, what makes a short Wikipedia entry on a simple one-word topic distinct from a dictionary entry? If the content does no harm, why put restrictions on it? -- Sydhart
Actually, a separate Dictionary that can be linked to the other parts of Wikipedia makes a great idea, and a model already exists in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary at http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com. This dictionary consists of three pieces: a interactive piece that sits on your computer, and - when you are on-line - it looks at whatever word your mouse is pointing to, goes to the on-line dictionary, and - so far - translates the word into Spanish. The translation shows up as a popup attached to the mousepointer, and it works everywhere, even directly on the Desktop or third-party software. The other piece that gets downloaded to your computer is a cookie that identifies you to the server. The third part is the dictionary itself on the server. These three pieces work together, and a broadband connection seems mandatory. The interactive piece also adds plug-ins into your browser, and into the Mousepointer, to let you launch the server frontend in a seperate window. CORNELIUSSEON