Dictionary and thesaurus

FoxQuill can look a word up without leaving the page.

Looking a word up#

• Right-click a word in the text.
• Or put the cursor in a word and press Ctrl+Shift+D.
• Or open the Words tab in the rail and type a word.

The panel shows the definitions, then synonyms, then antonyms. Click a synonym to put it in the text in place of the word you looked up. If you opened the panel by typing rather than from the text, clicking a word looks that word up instead.

Where the words come from#

Two sources are built in and need no account and no key.

• Wiktionary gives the definitions.
• Datamuse gives the synonyms and antonyms. When a word has no true synonyms, related words are shown instead.

Every lookup is saved for thirty days. A word you have looked up before works with no internet at all. A word you have not shows “Offline. No saved entry for this word.”

Using another dictionary#

Settings has a Dictionary section. The two boxes at the top choose which provider answers each half of a lookup. Both start on the built-in one.

Three ready-made providers are one click away:

• Free Dictionary API, which needs no key.
• Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, which needs your own key.
• Merriam-Webster Collegiate Thesaurus, which needs your own key.

For Merriam-Webster, replace YOUR_KEY in the request URL with the key they give you.

Adding your own#

Add provider asks for:

• A name.
• A kind: a dictionary gives definitions, a thesaurus gives synonyms.
• A request URL with {word} where the word goes.
• A header name and value, if the service wants the key in a header. Leave both empty when the key goes in the URL.
• Paths into the answer.

Writing a path#

A path says where in the answer to look.

Results picks the list of entries. The other paths are read inside each entry.

The Test button looks up the word “novel” and shows the raw answer. Read the shape there, then write the paths to match.