Lexicon
Dictionaries at Sefaria
A Lexicon (dictionary) in Sefaria is composed of a Lexicon object representing the whole work, and LexiconEntry objects for each entry.
Additionally, a Lexicon can have WordForm objects for each written expression of a word in the lexicon. WordFormobjects represent various conjugations of words that appear in our texts, and attempt to link them to that specific headword.
If the Lexicon is to be viewed as an independent text, it needs to have an Index record as well. This Index will have special fields, and can optionally have a Version record for any additional textual content which is not a dictionary entry (e.g. for introductory text to the lexicon.)
To see documentation on our lexicon APIs, see here
Understanding the Lexicon Object Model
Lexicon
If the Lexicon has an associated Index, Lexicon.index_title must match the title of the Index object, and on the Index, lexiconName must match the name of the Lexicon object. If it has a Version associated with it, the title of the version should be placed in the version_titleattribute, and language of the version in theversion_lang attribute of the Lexicon.
nameis the key field for the Lexiconattribution,sourceandsource_urlare descriptive.languageto_languagetext_categories
Example of a Lexicon object in our database:
{
"text_categories" : [],
"attribution" : "Rabbi Marcus Jastrow",
"name" : "Jastrow Dictionary",
"language" : "heb.talmudic",
"version_lang" : "en",
"to_language" : "eng",
"index_title" : "Jastrow",
"source" : "Jastrow Dictionary",
"version_title" : "London, Luzac, 1903",
"should_autocomplete" : true
}Lexicon Entry
Recall that every Lexicon object is comprised of LexiconEntry objects which represent the words in that Lexicon.
Notes:
parent_lexiconmust matchLexicon.nameheadword- together withparent_lexicon,headwordis the key for the Lexicon entry. Must be unique for this Lexicon.prev_hw- The headword for the entry just before this one. (required when Lexicon is presented as a text, with anIndex.)next_hw- The headword for the entry just after this one. (required when Lexicon is presented as a text, with anIndex)rid- unique ID. Used for lexical sorting. When presented in order, the rid should be in order.ridvalues should begin with a letter, to ensure lexical and not numeric sorting.
{
"headword" : "אִיזְמֵיל",
"parent_lexicon" : "Jastrow Dictionary",
"rid" : "A01200",
"language_code" : " h. a. ch.",
"refs" : [
"Chullin 31a:11",
"Shemot Rabbah 26"
],
"content" : {
"senses" : [
{
"definition" : " (זמל √<span dir=\"rtl\">מל</span>; cmp. b. h. <span dir=\"rtl\">סמל</span>; cmp. <a dir=\"rtl\" class=\"refLink\" href=\"/Jastrow,_*אִיזְגָּרָא.1\" data-ref=\"Jastrow, *אִיזְגָּרָא 1\">אִיזְגָּרָא</a>) <i>cutting tool, knife</i>, esp. <i>surgeon’s knife</i>. <a class=\"refLink\" href=\"/Aramaic_Targum_to_Job.16.9\" data-ref=\"Aramaic Targum to Job 16:9\">Targ. Job XVI, 9</a>; a. e.—<a class=\"refLink\" href=\"/Chullin.31a.11\" data-ref=\"Chullin 31a:11\">Ḥull. 31ᵃ</a> <span dir=\"rtl\">א׳ שיש לו קרנים</span> a knife which has hornlike projections as ornaments. Y. Sabb. XIX, beg. 16ᵈ <span dir=\"rtl\">אנשון מייתי או׳</span> they had forgotten to bring the knife (for circumcision). <a class=\"refLink\" href=\"/Shemot_Rabbah.26\" data-ref=\"Shemot Rabbah 26\">Ex. R. s. 26</a> man <span dir=\"rtl\">מכה באי׳ וכ׳</span> wounds with a knife (operating) and heals &c. Pl. Chald. <span dir=\"rtl\">אִזְמֵלַיָּיא</span>; <span dir=\"rtl\">אִזְמַלְוָון</span> (f.). <a class=\"refLink\" href=\"/Targum_Jonathan_on_Isaiah.44.13\" data-ref=\"Targum Jonathan on Isaiah 44:13\">Targ. Is. XLIV, 13</a>. <a class=\"refLink\" href=\"/Targum_Jonathan_on_Joshua.5.2\" data-ref=\"Targum Jonathan on Joshua 5:2\">Targ. Josh. V, 2</a>."
}
],
"morphology" : "m."
},
"plural_form" : [
"אִזְמֵלַיָּיא",
"אִזְמַלְוָון"
],
"alt_headwords" : [
"אִיזְמֵל",
"אִזְ׳",
"(אוּזְמֵל)"
],
"quotes" : [
],
"prev_hw" : "אִיזְמָא",
"next_hw" : "איזמר"
}
When a Lexicon is to be presented as a text in itself (with an Index record), the LexiconEntry objects are arranged with pointers to the entries before and after.
WordForm
There can be many WordForm objects corresponding to a LexiconEntry and many LexiconEntry objects for a WordForm.
Example:
{
"form" : "פתיח",
"lookups" : [
{
"parent_lexicon" : "Klein Dictionary",
"headword" : "פָּתֽיחַ ᴵ"
}
],
"c_form" : "פתיח",
"refs" : [
"Eruvin 24b:4",
"Megillah 26b:13"
],
"generated_by" : "prefix_adder_1"
}Note: lookups represents the list of LexiconEntry objects. There can be many objects in the list.
Refs in WordForm
The refs list is meant to be a way to further restrict the correspondence between the naturally occurring word in a given text and a LexiconEntry. While the word may appear in the same form throughout the Sefaria library, it may have different meanings based on the context or nature of the work within which it appears. The refs list will associate a given definition for a word with the instances in which it appears that word has identical meanings.
For example, if a word in Biblical Hebrew has a different meaning than when it appears in Modern Hebrew works, there will be separate WordForm objects: one representing the Biblical Hebrew word and associating it with refs from the Bible, and another representing the Modern Hebrew word and associating it with refs corresponding to its appearance in Modern Hebrew works.
Many-to-Many
When querying for a WordForm for a given string, one may receive many results to enable maximum flexibility in representing natural language.
Index
When a dictionary is presented as a text, it has a special Index record with alexiconName element at the root, and a DictionaryNode element in the schema. The lexiconName must match the name of the Lexicon object. (In the reverse direction, Lexicon.index_title must match the title of the Index object.
DictionaryNode
A DictionaryNode can be placed anywhere within a complex schema tree.
nodeType- will beDictionaryNodelexiconNamedefault- If it's true, entries can be referenced just with the dictionary name.lastWordfirstWordheadwordMap
Below is the full record for the Jastrow dictionary. Note the lexiconName and DictionaryNode element in the schema.
{
"categories" : [
"Reference"
],
"schema" : {
"key" : "Jastrow",
"nodes" : [
{
"lexiconName" : "Jastrow Dictionary",
"default" : true,
"lastWord" : "תתנא",
"firstWord" : "א",
"nodeType" : "DictionaryNode",
"headwordMap" : [
[
"א",
"Jastrow, א"
],
[
"ב",
"Jastrow, ב"
],
[
"ג",
"Jastrow, ג"
],
[
"ד",
"Jastrow, ד"
],
[
"ה",
"Jastrow, ה"
],
[
"ו",
"Jastrow, ו"
],
[
"ז",
"Jastrow, ז"
],
[
"ח",
"Jastrow, ח"
],
[
"ט",
"Jastrow, ט"
],
[
"י",
"Jastrow, י"
],
[
"כ",
"Jastrow, כ"
],
[
"ל",
"Jastrow, ל"
],
[
"מ",
"Jastrow, מ"
],
[
"נ",
"Jastrow, נ"
],
[
"ס",
"Jastrow, ס"
],
[
"ע",
"Jastrow, ע"
],
[
"פ",
"Jastrow, פ"
],
[
"צ",
"Jastrow, צ"
],
[
"ק",
"Jastrow, ק"
],
[
"ר",
"Jastrow, ר"
],
[
"ש",
"Jastrow, שׁ"
],
[
"ת",
"Jastrow, ת"
]
]
},
{
"key" : "Preface",
"addressTypes" : [
"Integer"
],
"sectionNames" : [
"Paragraph"
],
"nodeType" : "JaggedArrayNode",
"depth" : 1,
"titles" : [
{
"primary" : true,
"lang" : "he",
"text" : "הקדמה"
},
{
"primary" : true,
"lang" : "en",
"text" : "Preface"
}
]
},
{
"key" : "Hebrew or Aramaic Abbreviations",
"addressTypes" : [
"Integer"
],
"sectionNames" : [
"Line"
],
"nodeType" : "JaggedArrayNode",
"depth" : 1,
"titles" : [
{
"primary" : true,
"lang" : "he",
"text" : "קיצורים בעברית או בארמית"
},
{
"primary" : true,
"lang" : "en",
"text" : "Hebrew or Aramaic Abbreviations"
}
]
},
{
"key" : "List of Abbreviations",
"addressTypes" : [
"Integer"
],
"sectionNames" : [
"Line"
],
"nodeType" : "JaggedArrayNode",
"depth" : 1,
"titles" : [
{
"primary" : true,
"lang" : "he",
"text" : "רשימת קיצורים"
},
{
"primary" : true,
"lang" : "en",
"text" : "List of Abbreviations"
}
]
}
],
"titles" : [
{
"primary" : true,
"lang" : "he",
"text" : "מילון יסטרוב"
},
{
"primary" : true,
"lang" : "en",
"text" : "Jastrow"
}
]
},
"enDesc" : "A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Bavli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature",
"order" : [
],
"is_cited" : false,
"pubPlace" : "New York",
"compPlace" : "Philadelphia",
"lexiconName" : "Jastrow Dictionary",
"pubDate" : "1903",
"title" : "Jastrow",
"era" : "CO",
"errorMargin" : "10",
"authors" : [
"Marcus Jastrow"
],
"compDate" : "1893"
}
Version
Necessary for any regular (non-definition) text.
Important Notes
- In
sefaria/model/lexicon.py, each dictionary relates to a subclass ofDictionaryEntry. Those correspondences are listed inLexiconEntrySubClassMapping - In
sefaria.js, there is a line that lists the dictionaries:Sefaria.virtualBooksDict = [...] - If this lexicon participates in the cross-dictionary auto-completer, it needs to be listed in
library.build_lexicon_auto_completers
Updated about 2 months ago