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Dictionary/Thesaurus

Overview

Look up definitions and synonyms for any word.

Mac OS X

OS X supplies a dictionary/thesaurus application aptly named Dictionary:

For those fond of Dashboard's ease of access (F12, or click the Dashboard icon in the Dock, or set up a hot corner), Apple has supplied a Dashboard Dictionary/Thesaurus widget:

Control- or right-click any word in any application to look it up in Dictionary:

dictionary-context-menu.png

Dictionary also has a preference to show definitions in a "pane" so you don't have to leave your current application:

dictionary-pane.png

Windows XP

XP does not include a dictionary or thesaurus, though XP users can use any online dictionary/thesaurus.

Conclusion

OS X not only provides a dictionary/thesaurus tool, but implements it in multiple ways (as a separate application, a Dashboard widget, and a popup window) so that you can look up a word in the way that least disturbs your workflow. XP does not include any such tools.

Mac OS X: 9
Windows XP: 1

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