INFORMATION AT INDIVIDUAL SENSES
Information appearing in labeled fields applies to all senses and subsenses. Information applicable only to some senses or subsenses appears in the definition window and immediately precedes the sense or subsense to which it applies. A variety of kinds of information is offered in this way:
Main Entry: ²palm
Function: noun
3 [Latin palmus, from palma] . . .
The square brackets in the entry for palm enclose etymological information that applies only to the third sense. This subetymology indicates that while sense 3 ultimately derived from the same source (Latin palma) as the other senses of the word, it has a different immediate etymon (Latin palmus), from which it receives its meaning.
Main Entry: ²rally
Function: noun
4 also ral.lye . . .
At rally one is told that in the fourth sense the word has a variant spelling not used for other senses and that this variant is a secondary or less common one.
Main Entry: ¹disk or disc
Function: noun
4 . . . b usually disc . . .
At disk the italic label of sense 4b indicates that, while the spelling disk is overall somewhat the more common (since it precedes disc out of alphabetical order at the beginning of the entry), disc is the usual spelling for this particular sense.
Main Entry: cru.ci.fix.ion
Function: noun
1 a capitalized . . .
At crucifixion the label capitalized points out the one meaning of the word in which it is capitalized.
Main Entry: ¹tile
Function: noun
1 plural tiles or tile . . .
At the first homograph tile no plural is shown at the beginning of the entry because the usual plural, tiles, is regular. The subsenses of sense 1, however, have an uninflected plural as well as the usual one, and so both plurals appear in boldface at sense 1.
Main Entry: del.i.ca.tes.sen
Function: noun plural
2 singular, plural delicatessens . . .
At delicatessen the situation is different: the entry as a whole is labeled a plural noun, but sense 2 is used as a singular. In this sense delicatessen can take the plural ending -s when needed, a fact that is indicated by the appearance of the plural in boldface at the sense.
Main Entry: fix.ing
Function: noun
2 plural . . .
At fixing the italic plural simply means that when used in this sense the word is always written in its plural form, fixings.
Main Entry: ²die
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural dice . . . or dies
1 plural dice . . .
2 plural dies . . .
3 plural dies . . .
At the second homograph die the actual distribution of the variant plurals can be given sense by sense in italic type because both variants are shown in boldface earlier in the entry.
Main Entry: ¹folk
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural folk or folks
4 folks plural . . .
At the first homograph folk a singular noun is shown with variant plurals of nearly equal frequency, when all senses are taken into account. The fourth sense, however, is unique in being always plural in form and construction. The form of the plural for this sense is folks, as shown, and the placement of the form before the label instead of after it (as at the senses of die) means that this sense is always plural.
When an italicized label or guide phrase follows a boldface numeral, the label or phrase applies only to that specific numbered sense and its subsenses. It does not apply to any other boldface numbered senses:
Main Entry: ¹boot
Function: noun
1 archaic . . .
2 chiefly dialect . . .
3 obsolete . . .Main Entry: ¹fa.vor
Function: noun
2 archaic a . . . b (1) . . . (2) . . . 3 . . .
At boot the usage label archaic applies only to sense 1, the chiefly dialect label only to sense 2, and the obsolete label only to sense 3. At favor the archaic label applies to all the subsenses of sense 2 but not to sense 3.
When an italicized label or guide phrase follows a boldface letter, the label or phrase applies only to that specific lettered sense and its subsenses. It does not apply to any other boldface lettered senses:
Main Entry: ²stour
Function: noun
1 a archaic . . . b dialect British . . .
The archaic label applies to sense 1a but not to sense 1b. The dialect British label applies to sense 1b but not to sense 1a.
When an italicized label or guide phrase follows a parenthesized numeral, the label or phrase applies only to that specific numbered sense:
Main Entry: in.car.na.tion
Function: noun
1 a (1) . . . (2) capitalized . . .
The capitalized label applies to sense 1a(2) and to no other subsenses of the word.
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