Wiktionary.org - Open Content Dictionary

Wiktionary is a free content dictionary available in over 150 languages with definitions, etymologies, pronunciations, sample quotations, synonyms, antonyms and translations. Unlike standard dictionaries, it is written collaboratively by volunteers using wiki software, allowing articles to be changed by almost anyone with access to the website. You can expand an existing article, provide requested cotent, check translations, contribute to the translations of the week, clean up a page, among many other open tasks. Because Wiktionary is not limited by print space considerations, most of Wiktionary's language editions provide definitions and translations of words from many languages, and some editions offer additional information typically found in thesauruses and lexicons. For instance, the English Wiktionary now includes Wikisaurus, a category that serves as a thesaurus, including lists of slang words. You can browe Wiktionary by category, by language, by part of speech, by topic, abbreviations, frequency lists, word lists, milestones, rhymes, wikisaurus and appendices. Highlights of Wiktionary include the weekly translations and the phrase book.

“Wiktionary (a portmanteau of wiki and dictionary) is a multilingual, Web-based project to create a free content dictionary. Like its sister project Wikipedia, Wiktionary is run by the Wikimedia Foundation. Wiktionary was brought online on December 12, 2002 following a proposal by Daniel Alston. On March 29, 2004 the first non-English Wiktionaries were initiated in French and Polish. Wiktionaries in numerous other languages have since been started. As of November 2006, Wiktionary features over 1.5 million entries across its 171 language editions. The largest of the language editions is the English Wiktionary, with over 400,000 entries.”

Users will no doubt appreciate the original content, especially all the definitions and translations not easily found on other online dictionaries. Wiktionary provides people another strong source to use when searching the odd terms that pop up in today’s fast-changing world and the online environment.

Will people rely on the accuracy of its defiitions? There’s not even an editorial staff. How will they be able to compete with well-known online dictionaries like Cambridge Dictionary Online and Merriam-Webster? Wiktionary is a private enterprise, privately funded that provides a free service without advertisement. How are they making a profit from the site? Will they be able to obtain enough donations to keep it going?