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LostInParadise's avatar

Where can I find a list of words that can be used to define all other words?

Asked by LostInParadise (32168points) July 29th, 2020

I previously was able to find such a list on the Web, but I can’t find it now. It seems that it would be interesting to see the most basic concepts that are needed.

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4 Answers

LostInParadise's avatar

I found this I wonder if 850 words really could be used to define all the others.

Pandora's avatar

Do you mean like root latin words?

LostInParadise's avatar

What I meant was this. If you look up a word in the dictionary, the definition is given in terms of other words. You can then look up the definition of those words. If you keep doing this, you will eventually end up in a loop. Suppose that the dictionary maker chose a group of words that were undefined but which defined, directly or indirectly, every other word in the dictionary. How many such words would we need, and what might some of them be.

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