My Obsidian Dictionary Notes
Early in my use of Obsidian for personal knowledge management (PKM), I realized that a note type that I wanted to implement is something that I call a “Dictionary Note.”
What is a “Dictionary Note,” you’re probably wondering, and why do I use them instead of just using a dictionary¹?
I’m glad you asked. I’ll explain…
Features of my Dictionary Notes
First, let me explain the features of my Dictionary Notes, or what information I include in them.
A “root” version of the word
I start with an English “root” version of the word — generally the noun form, but not always — and include definition(s) and example(s).
An example word I’ll use for this article is entrepreneur.
My note is titled entrepreneur, and that’s the H1 value in the note.
Then I’ll start a bulleted list where I can list the word, its grammatical form, its definition, and an example.
I format the word and its grammatical form in bold, with with the word itself highlighted for easy visibility, then the definition in plain text and the example in italics.
Also, if there’s a plural version of the word, as in my example, I’ll list it here, either by simply adding “(s)” where it applies, or spelling out the variation (e.g., thesis, theses).
Variations of the word
I like to expand my bulleted list to include variations of the word — other noun forms, adjectives, adverbs, etc. (e.g., entrepreneurial, entrepreneurially, entrepreneurship).
Each of the variations gets the same treatment and styling as the root word in my bulleted list.
Next I like to add each variation as an italicized, comma-separated list on a line under the H1 so I can quickly see what versions of the word I’ve included.
I’ll also update the YAML frontmatter² to include fields for Created (date), Updated (date), Aliases, and I’ll list the word variations as Aliases so I can use those variations in other notes.
Origin of the word
I’ll add the Origin of the word as an entry at the bottom of my bulleted list, usually including what century the word first appeared in English, what language(s) it came from, what words in those other languages it came from, etc.
This can help to make connections to other words that share the same origin words from other languages — for example, “entrepreneur” and “enterprise” are related words, coming from the French word entreprendre.
Synonyms for the word
I’ll add Synonyms for the word. This helps provide additional context for what the word means, helps me link this note to other notes, and expands my vocabulary (more on that below).
Other notes and usage of the word
As I come across any additional notes on the word, such as an interesting anecdote or history of the word, or any instructions regarding the word’s usage (i.e., “discreet” and “discrete” mean different things, or the difference between “libel” and “slander”), I’ll add that as a section header to my note and put the text below it.
Links to other resources
Finally, I’ll add links to any other resources as a section header, where I can add hyperlinks or citations.
Benefits of my Dictionary Notes
So what benefits do I find from putting all of this — or even some of this — information into my own Dictionary Note when the information is already available in a number of places?
1. Consistency in spelling
“Entrepreneur” is an example of a word that I can struggle to spell correctly when typing it out, especially some of the longer variations like “entrepreneurship.”
By having them as Dictionary Notes, I can now use Obsidian’s linking feature by opening the double brackets [[, start typing “entre” (which I can pretty easily remember since it’s so close to “entrée,” another favorite word of mine 😄), and the choices are there in the list.
2. Quick reference viewing of the definition
When I’m making another note, whether it’s a fleeting note, a literature note, or a permanent note, based on someone else’s writing, I’ll often come across a word where I’m not exactly sure what it means, I don’t always remember what it means (there’s only so much the brain 🧠 can hold), or I want a better understanding of what the word means.
For example, in my Bible study, I’ll come across a mention of an “aorist verb.” I don’t use the word “aorist” very much, so it’s nice to be able to insert it as a backlink and then be able to hover over it to see what the word means.
3. Finding other mentions of the word
From my Dictionary Note, I can see all of the Linked Mentions to this note, so I can see where else the word is being used.
Sometimes that helps me expand my understanding of the word in the Dictionary Note, and sometimes it helps me link two other notes that previously weren’t linked but can be related.
4. Finding synonyms
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel like I get in a rut with my word usage.
It’s nice to have these Dictionary Notes where, if I feel like I’m using a particular word too frequently, I can see what other synonyms are available — and perhaps even reference that other word’s Dictionary Note to see how often I’ve used that word.
Is it worth it?
You may be asking, “OK, but is it worth it?” Well, I currently have almost 1,300 notes in my “DICTIONARY”³ folder in Obsidian, so I definitely find value in these notes.
No, I don’t make a note for every word. But between industry-specific words, technology terms, etc., I’ve found my Dictionary Notes to be very useful, and will continue to make more of them as the need arises.
¹ I’ll admit quite freely that this note type has been a work in progress for over two years now, so the very first notes of this type that I created look much different than the ones I’m creating currently. But then it’s also interesting and helpful to go back and review older Dictionary Notes, revise them, update their format, check for Unlinked Mentions, etc.
² “Frontmatter” is a good example of why I use Dictionary Notes. Is it “frontmatter” or “front matter”? I can use the note to record my findings, and if I want, choose a default format and include the other format as an alias.
³ Yes, my folders are spelled in ALL CAPS for organizational purposes — whether that’s in Obsidian, a file explorer/finder, etc.
