Visual Dictionary: For the Less Verbal Among Us

If you've ever found yourself drawing pictures when trying to describe something to a friend, or describing objects with phrases like "the thing with the thingy attached to it," then you might find Merriam-Webster's Visual Dictionary useful. Similarly, if you've ever wondered what some of the things you see every day are actually called, the Visual Dictionary can help you find out. Start with some of Merriam-Webster's visual themes and narrow the search down until you find what you're looking for.






The next time your car breaks down and you're parked beyond the shoulder, you'll know to tell the towing company that you're on the "subbase" of the road; the incline between the shoulder and the ditch. And if you find yourself having to describe a bank robber to the police, you'll know to say he was wearing a balaclava. Merriam-Webster's Visual Dictionary is designed to help you figure out what the correct name of that thing you're thinking of really is. You can search the Visual Dictionary's index, go to a specific image, or start with one of the fifteen major themes and narrow your search from there.



Most people looking for the name of something will start with the visual themes. You can choose from fifteen of them, some of which are astronomy, plants and gardening, the animal kingdom, clothing, energy, and sports. If you're looking for the difference between a point guard and a guard, you can start in the sports category, and then drill down to the "ball sports" subcategory, and click on basketball. From there, you can examine a basketball court, player positions, and even details of what a basketball player wears.

The service is new and could definitely use some improvements. I tried to use it to find the name of the threads on a football, or what the stitching on a baseball is called, with no luck. The Visual Dictionary dedicates an entire page to the baseball, but doesn't provide any detail or information. Similarly the football itself is on the same page as the football player, and there are no details for that either. But other categories were richer in detail. I used the Visual Dictionary to remind myself of the differences between Ionic, Doric, and Corinthian architectural styles, and laughingly explained to my friend that some of my clients at the office are a pain in my gluteus maximus.



Merriam-Webster's Visual Dictionary was a lot of fun to use, and I can see it being helpful in a number of ways. The service is a great answer for people who wonder how you can look something up in the dictionary if you don't know what it's called.

[ via Lifehacker ]