glossary

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 29, 2026

Quick Summary

A glossary is a list of specialized terms with their meanings, often found at the end of a book or article. It serves to explain words or phrases that might be difficult for the reader to understand. The term "glossary" itself originates from the Greek word "glossa," meaning "tongue" or "language". Glossaries can include definitions for financial terms, technical jargon, or any subject-specific vocabulary. The plural form is "glossaries".12345

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

5 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

dictionary
…book, is often called a glossary. When a word list is an index to a limited body of writing, with references to each passage, it is called a concordance. Theoretically, a good dictionary could be compiled by organizing into one list a large number of concordances. A word list that…
Read More
…book, is often called a glossary. When a word list is an index to a limited body of writing, with references to each passage, it is called a concordance. Theoretically, a good dictionary could be compiled by organizing into one list a large number of concordances. A word list that…
Read More