There are some common misconceptions about dictionary definitions, including 1) that they’re prescriptive and 2) that they’re complete. In reality, at least for English, dictionaries are descriptive, meaning they attempt to describe how words are commonly used (where “commonly used” is a non-exact metric whose meaning is decided by the group compiling the dictionary); and they’re incomplete in a number of ways. A dictionary provides a starting point for understanding words we don’t know or are unfamiliar with, but there’s a reason people go to school for years to study specific subjects in depth–a depth that’s lacking in the dictionary definition.
It goes both ways. The dictionary is perceived to be an arbiter of truth in defining words. Language is what we perceived or to be. If most people agree that the definition is correct, it is.
There are some common misconceptions about dictionary definitions, including 1) that they’re prescriptive and 2) that they’re complete. In reality, at least for English, dictionaries are descriptive, meaning they attempt to describe how words are commonly used (where “commonly used” is a non-exact metric whose meaning is decided by the group compiling the dictionary); and they’re incomplete in a number of ways. A dictionary provides a starting point for understanding words we don’t know or are unfamiliar with, but there’s a reason people go to school for years to study specific subjects in depth–a depth that’s lacking in the dictionary definition.
It goes both ways. The dictionary is perceived to be an arbiter of truth in defining words. Language is what we perceived or to be. If most people agree that the definition is correct, it is.