[Jaeger]

Hi,

Just like you can use the Google search service on selected text, is there a third-party service you can install to look up words in dictionaries or thesauruses?

Thanks!

[wataru]

Nisus Thesaurus (free) includes a service for the Services menu. I don't use it much, though. And I'd be amazed if there wasn't a dictionary app that offers a service as well.

This should really be in the Software forum, by the way.

[mcsjgs]

Never tried this, but looks interesting:

Select NetDICT Version: _2.5

Product Requirements:
• Mac OS 8.5 - OS X


Product Description:
NetDICT is a client for the RFC2229 Internet dictionary (DICT) protocol. Use NetDICT to send queries to DICT database servers on the Internet. NetDICT accesses a number of Internet dictionary databases, including Webster's Revised Unabridged, the U.S. Gazetter, several computing dictionaries and several Bible dictionaries. MacOS X compatible.


•_Download NetDICT Now_ (File Size: 738k)


Overall rating
3.7

here:

NetDICT Versiontracker

[Jaeger]

Thanks, Nisus is great!! That does the trick.

[beijinger]

Originally posted by Jaeger:
Hi,

Just like you can use the Google search service on selected text, is there a third-party service you can install to look up words in dictionaries or thesauruses?

Thanks!

If you mean on the net like Google, go to www.dictionary.com and www.thesaurus.com.

[Diggory Laycock]

http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omnidictionary/

[Krusty]

Originally posted by Diggory Laycock:
http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omnidictionary/

I use this myself. The only problem is that to invoke the dictionary, one types command+= ... which doesn't work in Safari (and some other browsers) because that key combo is already mapped to "Increase text size" .. so you end up having to choose "Define in Omnidictionary" from the Services menu to get it to work. Shame Omni doesn't let you remap the key combo.

[hldan]

If you are using Panther (Jaguar as well I believe) then these services are already built in with Sherlock. It comes complete with a Thesaurus and Dictionary and even a translator. I use Sherlock all the time for these services and since it's internet based it will always be updated.
Hope this helps.

[dtriska]

Originally posted by Krusty:
I use this myself. The only problem is that to invoke the dictionary, one types command+= ... which doesn't work in Safari (and some other browsers) because that key combo is already mapped to "Increase text size" .. so you end up having to choose "Define in Omnidictionary" from the Services menu to get it to work. Shame Omni doesn't let you remap the key combo.

That's a problem with Safari. The menu says increasing the text size is cmd-+ but it responds to cmd-=.

You can use the equal sign on the number pad.

[milhouse]

Wordnet rules.

[Ibson]

Originally posted by Krusty:
… Shame Omni doesn't let you remap the key combo.

Actually you can for any service, although it's not easy (and in NEXTSTEP there was a preference panel to change the shortcut keys I think).[list=1][*]Reveal the OmniDictionary icon in the Finder.[*]Control-click it and choose “Show Package Contents”.[*]Open the “Contents” folder, and then open the file “Info.plist” in TextEdit.[*]In TextEdit, open the Find panel (using Cmd-F), then search for “NSKeyEquivalent” (without the quotes).[*]Just below, you'll see something like “<string>=</string>”.[*]Change that equals sign to whatever character you want, then save.[*]You may need to log out before the system notices the change.[/list=1]

[TheIceMan]

Originally posted by milhouse:
Wordnet rules.

Yup. Excellent.