Words that are usually capitalized in most contexts are capitalized in this thesaurus. Thus, the synonyms Gehenna, Pandemonium, Sheol, and Tophet are so styled at the main entry hell noun as are the related words Styx and Tartarus. A term that is capitalized in a main-entry Synonyms list is also capitalized when it appears as a boldface entry at its own alphabetical position:
Entry Word: Gehenna
Function: noun
Synonyms hell, . . .
If only one entered sense of a word is capitalized, an italic capitalized label followed by a boldface capitalized subhead is attached to the affected sense:
Entry Word: pandemonium
Function: noun
1 capitalized Pandemonium
Synonyms hell, . . .
2 Synonyms sink 1, . . .
3 Synonyms din, . . .
In addition to the function label, an italic plural label may be added when a word or sense of a word is sometimes, often, usually, or always used in the plural. Typical examples of these labels include the following:
Entry Word: years
Function: noun plural
Synonyms old age, age, caducity, elderliness, senectitude, senescence
In this entry, plural indicates that the entry word years is always plural in form and construction in this particular sense of the word.
Entry Word: road
Function: noun
1 often roads plural
Synonyms HARBOR 3, anchorage, chuck, harborage, haven, port, riding, roadstead
2 Synonyms WAY 1, artery, avenue, boulevard, drag, highway, path, street, thoroughfare, track
3 Synonyms WAY 2, course, line, passage, path, route
In this entry, sense 1 (and only that sense) of the entry word road is often but not always used in the plural.
Entry Word minutia
Function: noun
usually minutiae plural
1 Synonyms ins and outs, ropes
2 Synonyms trivia, small beer, small change, small potato(es), triviality
In this entry, the label preceding both senses indicates that the entry word minutia is usually used in the plural in both of these senses.
Entry Word: trivia
Function: noun plural but sometimes singular in construction
In this entry the label is qualified to show that this plural noun may sometimes be used with a singular verb.
Entry Word: common
Function: noun
1 commons plural but singular or plural in construction
Synonyms commonalty, commonage, commoners, common men, people, plebeians, plebs, populace, rank and file, third estate
In this entry, the label indicates that common occurs as a plural noun in sense 1 but may occur with either singular or plural verbs.
Entry Word: outdoors
Function: noun plural but singular in construction
the space where air is unconfined <every night he let the dog run in the outdoors>
Here the label indicates that while the word outdoors is a plural noun, it consistently takes a singular verb. An italic subject guide phrase pointing to something with which the entry word is associated may precede a shared-meaning statement in a very few instances:
Entry Word: set
Function: verb
11 of a fowl to incubate eggs by crouching upon them . . .
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