Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases — Text and Context

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In Category - Philology

Authors: Roget, Peter Mark, 1779-1869 Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2004 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: English language -- Synonyms and antonyms Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 477,417

Reading time 2076 min

Text sections 220

Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases — Text and Context can be approached with a clearer sense of reading commitment from its source measurements: 477,417 words, 34 hr 36 min estimated reading time, and 220 detected text sections.

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Source: Project Gutenberg record #10681

An editorial note examining the structural architecture of Roget's Thesaurus, focusing on its hierarchical classification, cross-referencing system, and the interplay between abstract categories and concrete word lists.

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ROGET'S THESAURUS OF ENGLISH WORDS AND PHRASES

CLASS I WORDS EXPRESSING ABSTRACT RELATIONS

1. BEING, IN THE ABSTRACT

1. Existence — N. existence, being, entity, ens [Lat.], esse [Lat.], subsistence. reality, actuality; positiveness &c adj.; fact, matter of fact, sober reality; truth &c 494; actual existence. presence &c (existence in space) 186; coexistence &c 120. stubborn fact, hard fact; not a dream &c 515; no joke. center of life, essence, inmost nature, inner reality, vital principle. [Science of existence], ontology. V. exist, be; have being &c n.; subsist, live, breathe, stand, obtain, be the case; occur &c (event) 151; have place, prevail; find oneself, pass the time, vegetate. consist in, lie in; be comprised in, be contained in, be constituted by. come into existence &c n.; arise &c (begin) 66; come forth &c (appear) 446. become &c (be converted) 144; bring into existence &c 161. abide, continue, endure, last, remain, stay. Adj. existing &c v.; existent, under the sun; in existence &c n.; extant; afloat, afoot, on foot, current, prevalent; undestroyed. real, actual, positive, absolute; true &c 494; substantial, substantive; self-existing, self-existent; essential. well-founded, well-grounded; unideal†, unimagined; not potential &c 2; authentic. Adv. actually &c adj.; in fact, in point of fact, in reality; indeed; de facto, ipso facto. Phr. ens rationis [Lat.]; ergo sum cogito [Lat.], thinkest thou existence doth depend on time? [Byron].

2. Inexistence — N. inexistence†; nonexistence, nonsubsistence; nonentity, nil; negativeness &c adj.; nullity; nihility†, nihilism; tabula rasa [Lat.], blank; abeyance; absence &c 187; no such thing &c 4; nonbeing, nothingness, oblivion. annihilation; extinction &c (destruction) 162; extinguishment, extirpation, Nirvana, obliteration. V. not exist &c 1; have no existence &c 1; be null and void; cease to exist &c 1; pass away, perish; be extinct, become extinct &c adj.; die out; disappear &c 449; melt away, dissolve, leave not a rack behind; go, be no more; die &c 360. annihilate, render null, nullify; abrogate &c 756; destroy &c 162; take away; remove &c (displace) 185; obliterate, extirpate. Adj. inexistent†, nonexistent &c 1; negative, blank; missing, omitted; absent &c 187; insubstantial, shadowy, spectral, visionary. unreal, potential, virtual; baseless, in nubibus [Lat.]; unsubstantial &c 4; vain. unborn, uncreated†, unbegotten, unconceived, unproduced, unmade. perished, annihilated, &c v.; extinct, exhausted, gone, lost, vanished, departed, gone with the wind; defunct &c (dead) 360. fabulous, ideal &c (imaginary) 515, supposititious &c 514. Adv. negatively, virtually &c adj.. Phr. non ens [Lat.].

2. BEING, IN THE CONCRETE

3. Substantiality — N. substantiality, hypostasis; person, being, thing, object, article, item; something, a being, an existence; creature, body, substance, flesh and blood, stuff, substratum; matter &c 316; corporeity†, element, essential nature, groundwork, materiality, substantialness, vital part. [Totality of existences], world &c 318; plenum. Adj. substantive, substantial; hypostatic; personal, bodily, tangible &c (material) 316; corporeal. Adv. substantially &c adj.; bodily, essentially.

4. Unsubstantiality — N. unsubstantiality†, insubstantiality; nothingness, nihility†; no degree, no part, no quantity, no thing. nothing, naught, nil, nullity, zero, cipher, no one, nobody; never a one, ne'er a one [Contr.]; no such thing, none in the world; nothing whatever, nothing at all, nothing on earth; not a particle &c (smallness) 32; all talk, moonshine, stuff and nonsense; matter of no importance, matter of no consequence. thing of naught, man of straw, John Doe and Richard Roe, faggot voter; nominis umbra [Lat.], nonentity; flash in the pan, vox et praeterea nihil [Lat.]. shadow; phantom &c (fallacy of vision) 443; dream &c (imagination) 515; ignis fatuus &c (luminary) 423 [Lat.]; such stuff as dreams are made of [Tempest]; air, thin air, vapor; bubble &c 353; baseless fabric of a vision [Tempest]; mockery. hollowness, blank; void &c (absence) 187. inanity, fool's paradise. V. vanish, evaporate, fade, dissolve, melt away; disappear &c 449. Adj. unsubstantial; baseless, groundless; ungrounded; without foundation, having no foundation. visionary &c (imaginary) 515; immaterial &c 137; spectral &c 980; dreamy; shadowy; ethereal, airy; cloud built, cloud formed; gossamery, illusory, insubstantial, unreal. vacant, vacuous; empty &c 187; eviscerated; blank, hollow; nominal; null; inane. Phr. there's nothing in it; an ocean of dreams without a sound [Shelley].

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Roget's Thesaurus is organized not alphabetically but by a system of six primary classes, each subdivided into sections and heads. The opening entries under Class I, Section I, 'Existence,' immediately establish this architecture: head #1 'Existence' lists nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, then cross-references to related categories like 'Inexistence' (#2). This structure imposes a conceptual order on language, grouping synonyms and antonyms by idea rather than spelling.

Hierarchical Classification

The work's backbone is a six-class hierarchy: Abstract Relations, Space, Matter, Intellect, Volition, and Affections. Each class branches into sections and numbered heads. For instance, Class I begins with 'Existence' (#1) and 'Inexistence' (#2), then moves to 'Relation' and 'Quantity.' The numbering system (e.g., #1, #2) allows precise cross-referencing, as seen when #1 directs readers to 'truth &c. 494' and 'coexistence &c. 120.' This structure transforms the thesaurus into a map of conceptual relationships, not merely a list of synonyms.

Cross-Referencing as Navigation

Cross-references are woven into every entry, often using '&c.' (et cetera) to indicate related categories. Under 'Existence,' the phrase 'truth &c. 494' points to a later head on truth, while 'coexistence &c. 120' links to a head on simultaneity. These references create a network: a reader looking up 'existence' is directed to 'nonexistence,' 'presence,' and 'event.' The system assumes an active user who will follow these threads, making the thesaurus a tool for exploration rather than a static dictionary.

Recurring Patterns in Word Lists

Each head follows a consistent pattern: a Latin or English headword, then lists of nouns (N.), verbs (V.), adjectives (Adj.), adverbs (Adv.), and phrases (Phr.). For example, #1 lists 'existence, being, entity, ens [Lat.], esse [Lat.], subsistence' under nouns, then 'exist, be; have being &c. n.; subsist, live, breathe, stand, obtain' under verbs. This repetition of grammatical categories across heads imposes a uniform structure, allowing readers to quickly locate the part of speech they need. The inclusion of Latin terms like 'ens' and 'esse' adds a scholarly layer, reflecting Roget's background in natural philosophy.

Movement Between Abstract and Concrete

The thesaurus moves fluidly between abstract concepts and concrete examples. Under 'Existence,' abstract nouns like 'reality' and 'actuality' sit alongside phrases like 'stubborn fact' and 'hard fact.' The verb list includes 'vegetate'—a concrete biological term—alongside 'subsist' and 'prevail.' This juxtaposition enriches the user's lexical choices, offering both formal and colloquial options. The closing phrases, such as 'ergo sum cogito [Lat.]' (a playful inversion of Descartes), inject literary and philosophical references, hinting at Roget's wide reading.

Readers approaching this edition should treat the cross-references as invitations to wander. The numbered heads and consistent grammatical layout reward systematic browsing, while the occasional Latin phrase or literary allusion adds texture. Rather than searching for a single word, consider following a chain of references—from 'existence' to 'inexistence' to 'annihilation'—to see how Roget's classification shapes meaning.

I keep thinking about how Roget’s architecture turns words into pathways, each one leading quietly to another. It reminded me of wandering through The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary: Section S — Reading Notes, where definitions feel less like endings and more like doors left ajar. Both linger not for what they say, but for the spaces between entries.