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Google Launches Dictionary, Drops Answers.com
ObsessiveMathsFreak writes "Google has expanded its remit once again with the quiet launch of Google Dictionary. Google word search definitions now redirect to Google Dictionary instead of to Google's long term thesaurus goto site, Answers.com, which is expected to take a serious hit in traffic as a result. Dictionary pages are noticeably more plain and faster loading than their Answers.com equivalents, and unusually feature web citations for the definitions of each word. This means that, unlike most dictionaries, Google considers ginormous a word."
Now we don't have to deal with M-W terrible website layout, popups, etc.
Ginormous IS a word. It's just a relatively new word.
If it's in the Oxford, then it's a bloody word! http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/ginormous?view=uk ... And that's the Compact dictionary - so it's definitely in the ginormous one!
How exactly does a dictionary list non-dictionary words?
We hope your rules and wisdom choke you / Now we are one in everlasting peace
Because it's also what answers.com does too. You wouldn't want a metasearch engine referencing another metasearch engine.
On that path madness dwells.
By doing this, Google may have wrested control over third parties, but has significantly degraded the user experience. Prior to this, each word would have a hyperlink to a definition. Now it appears that one has a link to "definition" for one word. Furthermore, in my sampling the definitions are very basic and not of competitive quality. For instance, the word cricket has for the first definition the sport, the second a slang use, and then finally a first grade definition as an insect. No etymology. No context.
I can only imagine they are doing this to in some way differentiate themselves from Bing, which could also use freeonlinedictionary or the like. Unfortunately for Google, MS has encata, which tends to not have slightly more sophisticated definitions.
"She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
Am I the only one to have the following three reactions?
Find free books.
It is moderated.
Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
You should've googled it.
Did you look at the whole page of results from google? It has the excrement definition in the "related phrases" and "web definitions" sections.
We hope your rules and wisdom choke you / Now we are one in everlasting peace
The problem with Urban Dictionary is it's filled with crappy non-objective/crackpot definitions: opinions about words, not accurate well-written definitions, and contains definitions that reinforce many common misconceptions,
Example #1: Sugar High
Example #2: Boogeyman The scary monster man that gets little kids at night, usually found under the bed or in a dark closet.. Little eric got eaten by the boogeyman when he didn't say his prayer last night.
Example #3: Linux
Example #4: Windows A piece of glass you can open when it gets too hot outside. Come on people
"We're a monopoly, you say? Sir, the word 'monopoly' is not even in my dictionary." ...in fact, everything from 'marzipan' to 'morass' seems to be missing.
It seems no one yet mentioned Wiktionary.org. Over 1 536 000 + in French, a similar number in English. While there's obvious room for improvement, it's generally usable and often useful.
So here's my question, why does Google dives into a new initiative instead of jumping on existing trains? I guess the answers has something to do with control. Google wants to keep the control (which is understandable and not necessarily a bad thing). This Wiktionary-Google Dictionary is not the only example, Google Map Maker and OpenStreetMap.org is another one (both crowdsourcing map data, and yes, OSM was there much before).
Animoog.org
You missed the best part of the story summary; the Answers.com link goes to the definition of the word "divorce". I lolled, is that in the dictionary?
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