Unlike many glossaries or lexicons, the definitions given here are not monocular, they have not been drawn together and written as a single source presenting The Truth.   These are generally separate definitions drawn from a number of sources.  That means that as you look through here, you may notice definitions that may conflict with one another, or what you have been taught elsewhere. As virtually nearly everything in here is a paraphrase, or a direct quotation of some other stated source, this means that if you disagree with what a particular source has to say about something, there’s not much I can do about it.  My opinions will be noted in italics (if you disagree with those, I’ll be happy to talk about them with you).

I have chosen this technique because I do not pretend to be an expert in this field.   For the most part, I am simply a conduit for information.  When a term has arisen, I have started researching it by examine what the Oxford English Dictionary (2d Ed.) as a baseline.  That means that if you see material that is neither in quotations, with a clear citation, or set off in italics, it is either a quotation or a paraphrase of material in the OED2.  This does not mean that I think the OED is the best source available - it has a number of flaws.  It is, however, a generally accepted source for quality definitions.

Material that has been set off in italics are either titles or works, special words, or my own opinions.