"about-turn" meaning in English

See about-turn in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /əˈbaʊt tɚn/ [US] Audio: en-au-about turn.ogg [Australia] Forms: about-turns [plural]
Etymology: From the imperative phrase used in the military. Head templates: {{en-noun}} about-turn (plural about-turns)
  1. (British, military) A turn of 180 degrees, typically in a military formation. Tags: British Categories (topical): Military Translations (turn of 180 degrees): čelem vzad (Czech), rechtsomkeert (Dutch), täyskäännös (Finnish), demi-tour [masculine] (French), μεταβολή (metavolí) [feminine] (Greek), balik kanan (Indonesian), dietro front (Italian), dietrofront [masculine] (Italian), meia-volta [feminine] (Portuguese)
    Sense id: en-about-turn-en-noun-Ct1RaGKj Categories (other): British English, English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with language name categories using raw markup, English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 44 13 43 Disambiguation of English entries with language name categories using raw markup: 39 27 35 Disambiguation of English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys: 37 31 32 Topics: government, military, politics, war Disambiguation of 'turn of 180 degrees': 99 1
  2. Total reversal of opinion or attitude. Translations (total reversal of opinion or attitude): obrat o 180 stupňů [masculine] (Czech), koersverandering [masculine] (Dutch), ommezwaai [masculine] (Dutch), takinkääntö (Finnish), täyskäännös (Finnish), volte-face [feminine] (French), μεταστροφή (metastrofí) [feminine] (Greek), dietro front (Italian), voltagabbana (Italian), potpuni zaokret (Serbo-Croatian)
    Sense id: en-about-turn-en-noun-~BkhMcs1 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with language name categories using raw markup, English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 44 13 43 Disambiguation of English entries with language name categories using raw markup: 39 27 35 Disambiguation of English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys: 37 31 32 Disambiguation of 'total reversal of opinion or attitude': 3 97
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: about turn

Verb

IPA: /əˈbaʊt tɚn/ [US] Audio: en-au-about turn.ogg [Australia] Forms: about-turns [present, singular, third-person], about-turning [participle, present], about-turned [participle, past], about-turned [past]
Etymology: From the imperative phrase used in the military. Head templates: {{en-verb}} about-turn (third-person singular simple present about-turns, present participle about-turning, simple past and past participle about-turned)
  1. (intransitive) To turn 180 degrees, typically in a military formation. Tags: intransitive Synonyms: about-face Related terms: turnabout, turn-about, 180 Translations (to turn 180 degrees): tehdä täyskäännös (Finnish), faire demi-tour (French), balik kanan (Indonesian), fare dietro front (Italian)
    Sense id: en-about-turn-en-verb-1d9kFU8u Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with language name categories using raw markup, English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 44 13 43 Disambiguation of English entries with language name categories using raw markup: 39 27 35 Disambiguation of English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys: 37 31 32
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: about turn

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

Download JSON data for about-turn meaning in English (8.1kB)

{
  "etymology_text": "From the imperative phrase used in the military.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "about-turns",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "about-turn (plural about-turns)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "British English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Military",
          "orig": "en:Military",
          "parents": [
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "44 13 43",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
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            "Entry maintenance"
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          "_dis": "39 27 35",
          "kind": "other",
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "37 31 32",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A turn of 180 degrees, typically in a military formation."
      ],
      "id": "en-about-turn-en-noun-Ct1RaGKj",
      "links": [
        [
          "military",
          "military"
        ],
        [
          "The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles",
          "w:Shorter Oxford English Dictionary"
        ],
        [
          "Oxford University Press",
          "w:Oxford University Press"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(British, military) A turn of 180 degrees, typically in a military formation."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "British"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "government",
        "military",
        "politics",
        "war"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "turn of 180 degrees",
          "word": "čelem vzad"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "turn of 180 degrees",
          "word": "rechtsomkeert"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "turn of 180 degrees",
          "word": "täyskäännös"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "turn of 180 degrees",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "demi-tour"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "metavolí",
          "sense": "turn of 180 degrees",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "μεταβολή"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "id",
          "lang": "Indonesian",
          "sense": "turn of 180 degrees",
          "word": "balik kanan"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "turn of 180 degrees",
          "word": "dietro front"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "turn of 180 degrees",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "dietrofront"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "turn of 180 degrees",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "meia-volta"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "44 13 43",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "39 27 35",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "37 31 32",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2011 November 10, Jeremy Wilson, “England Under 21 5 Iceland Under 21 0: match report”, in Telegraph",
          "text": "A sell-out crowd of 10,000 then observed perfectly a period of silence before the team revealed their black armbands, complete with stitched-in poppies, for the match. After Fifa’s about-turn, it must have been a frantic few days for the England kit manufacturer. The on-field challenge was altogether more straightforward.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Total reversal of opinion or attitude."
      ],
      "id": "en-about-turn-en-noun-~BkhMcs1",
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "3 97",
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "total reversal of opinion or attitude",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "obrat o 180 stupňů"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "3 97",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "total reversal of opinion or attitude",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "koersverandering"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "3 97",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "total reversal of opinion or attitude",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "ommezwaai"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "3 97",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "total reversal of opinion or attitude",
          "word": "takinkääntö"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "3 97",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "total reversal of opinion or attitude",
          "word": "täyskäännös"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "3 97",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "total reversal of opinion or attitude",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "volte-face"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "3 97",
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "metastrofí",
          "sense": "total reversal of opinion or attitude",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "μεταστροφή"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "3 97",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "total reversal of opinion or attitude",
          "word": "dietro front"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "3 97",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "total reversal of opinion or attitude",
          "word": "voltagabbana"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "3 97",
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "total reversal of opinion or attitude",
          "word": "potpuni zaokret"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/əˈbaʊt tɚn/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-au-about turn.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/d/d1/En-au-about_turn.ogg/En-au-about_turn.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/En-au-about_turn.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "about turn"
    }
  ],
  "word": "about-turn"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "From the imperative phrase used in the military.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "about-turns",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "about-turning",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "about-turned",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "about-turned",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "about-turn (third-person singular simple present about-turns, present participle about-turning, simple past and past participle about-turned)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "44 13 43",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "39 27 35",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "37 31 32",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To turn 180 degrees, typically in a military formation."
      ],
      "id": "en-about-turn-en-verb-1d9kFU8u",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) To turn 180 degrees, typically in a military formation."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "turnabout"
        },
        {
          "word": "turn-about"
        },
        {
          "word": "180"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "about-face"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to turn 180 degrees",
          "word": "tehdä täyskäännös"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "to turn 180 degrees",
          "word": "faire demi-tour"
        },
        {
          "code": "id",
          "lang": "Indonesian",
          "sense": "to turn 180 degrees",
          "word": "balik kanan"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "to turn 180 degrees",
          "word": "fare dietro front"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/əˈbaʊt tɚn/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-au-about turn.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/d/d1/En-au-about_turn.ogg/En-au-about_turn.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/En-au-about_turn.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "about turn"
    }
  ],
  "word": "about-turn"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English phrasal nouns",
    "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
    "English terms with audio links",
    "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
    "English verbs"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From the imperative phrase used in the military.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "about-turns",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
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      "args": {},
      "expansion": "about-turn (plural about-turns)",
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "British English",
        "en:Military"
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      "glosses": [
        "A turn of 180 degrees, typically in a military formation."
      ],
      "links": [
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          "military",
          "military"
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          "The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles",
          "w:Shorter Oxford English Dictionary"
        ],
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          "Oxford University Press",
          "w:Oxford University Press"
        ]
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        "(British, military) A turn of 180 degrees, typically in a military formation."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "British"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "government",
        "military",
        "politics",
        "war"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
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        {
          "ref": "2011 November 10, Jeremy Wilson, “England Under 21 5 Iceland Under 21 0: match report”, in Telegraph",
          "text": "A sell-out crowd of 10,000 then observed perfectly a period of silence before the team revealed their black armbands, complete with stitched-in poppies, for the match. After Fifa’s about-turn, it must have been a frantic few days for the England kit manufacturer. The on-field challenge was altogether more straightforward.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Total reversal of opinion or attitude."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/əˈbaʊt tɚn/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-au-about turn.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/d/d1/En-au-about_turn.ogg/En-au-about_turn.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/En-au-about_turn.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
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      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "about turn"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "turn of 180 degrees",
      "word": "čelem vzad"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "turn of 180 degrees",
      "word": "rechtsomkeert"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "turn of 180 degrees",
      "word": "täyskäännös"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "turn of 180 degrees",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "demi-tour"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "metavolí",
      "sense": "turn of 180 degrees",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "μεταβολή"
    },
    {
      "code": "id",
      "lang": "Indonesian",
      "sense": "turn of 180 degrees",
      "word": "balik kanan"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "turn of 180 degrees",
      "word": "dietro front"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "turn of 180 degrees",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "dietrofront"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "turn of 180 degrees",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "meia-volta"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "total reversal of opinion or attitude",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "obrat o 180 stupňů"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "total reversal of opinion or attitude",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "koersverandering"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "total reversal of opinion or attitude",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "ommezwaai"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "total reversal of opinion or attitude",
      "word": "takinkääntö"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "total reversal of opinion or attitude",
      "word": "täyskäännös"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "total reversal of opinion or attitude",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "volte-face"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "metastrofí",
      "sense": "total reversal of opinion or attitude",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "μεταστροφή"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "total reversal of opinion or attitude",
      "word": "dietro front"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "total reversal of opinion or attitude",
      "word": "voltagabbana"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "total reversal of opinion or attitude",
      "word": "potpuni zaokret"
    }
  ],
  "word": "about-turn"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English phrasal nouns",
    "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
    "English terms with audio links",
    "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
    "English verbs"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From the imperative phrase used in the military.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "about-turns",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "about-turning",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "about-turned",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "about-turned",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
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  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "about-turn (third-person singular simple present about-turns, present participle about-turning, simple past and past participle about-turned)",
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  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "turnabout"
    },
    {
      "word": "turn-about"
    },
    {
      "word": "180"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English intransitive verbs"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To turn 180 degrees, typically in a military formation."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) To turn 180 degrees, typically in a military formation."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/əˈbaʊt tɚn/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-au-about turn.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/d/d1/En-au-about_turn.ogg/En-au-about_turn.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/En-au-about_turn.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "about-face"
    },
    {
      "word": "about turn"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to turn 180 degrees",
      "word": "tehdä täyskäännös"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to turn 180 degrees",
      "word": "faire demi-tour"
    },
    {
      "code": "id",
      "lang": "Indonesian",
      "sense": "to turn 180 degrees",
      "word": "balik kanan"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "to turn 180 degrees",
      "word": "fare dietro front"
    }
  ],
  "word": "about-turn"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-30 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (210104c and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.