Pronunciation A guide to the pronunciation of the word appears in parentheses or between slashes after the main entry. Dictionaries use symbols to represent sounds, and an explanation of these symbols usually appears at the bottom of each page or across the bottom of facing pages throughout the alphabetical listing. When the plural form is regular, it is not shown. Copy from the dictionary the phrase or sentence that illustrates the use of each verb. This information, which appears in brackets either before or after the list of meanings, traces a word back to its roots and shows its form when it entered English.
Some dictionaries give the most common meaning first and then list less common ones.
Others begin with the oldest meaning and move to the most current one. Check the front matter of your dictionary to find out how its meanings are arranged. Remember that if a word is in the process of acquiring new meanings, the dictionary may not yet include them. Also remember that a dictionary meaning is primarily a record of the denotations , or exact meanings, of a word. A word's emotional associations, or connotations , are not always listed.