GC: n

CT: Thesauri are arranged in tree-like structures called hierarchies. A hierarchical structure allows terms to be logically organized so users can easily browse the more general concepts, and can “drill down” from concepts of interest to find more specific concepts.
Thesauri also store additional information about each term in the collection. Perhaps most important when indexing items are the Non-Preferred terms (synonyms and near-synonyms) that may be used instead of the original thesaurus term. For example, the term “seminar” might also be described as a “workshop” or a “class.” Being able to reference other words with equivalent meanings makes it easier to find all items associated with a concept.
Terms in a thesaurus often are related to other terms that aren’t nearby in the hierarchy, so the thesaurus provides a way to record related terms. Related terms are often displayed on web pages that use the thesaurus as a navigational tool for the site’s content, helping users discover additional avenues for their search.

S: Accessinn – http://www.accessinn.com/archives/articles/what-is-a-thesaurus-why-is-it-important-to-your-business/ (last access: 27 December 2014)

N: 1. 1823, “treasury, storehouse,” from Latin thesaurus “treasury, a hoard, a treasure, something laid up,” figuratively “repository, collection,” from Greek thesauros “a treasure, treasury, storehouse, chest,” from root of tithenai “to put, to place” (see theme). The meaning “encyclopedia filled with information” is from 1840, but existed earlier as thesaurarie (1590s), used as a title by early dictionary compilers, on the notion of thesaurus verborum “a treasury of words.” Meaning “collection of words arranged according to sense” is first attested 1852 in Roget’s title. Thesaurer is attested in Middle English for “treasurer” and thesaur “treasure” was in use 15c.-16c.

2. In the fields of Lexicology, Lexicography, Terminology: An artificially constructed vocabulary representing a conceptual breakdown of a subject field or fields, used in an information retrieval system.

3. A thesaurus is a collection of terms that represent important concepts to a business or organization. A thesaurus is a type of controlled vocabulary. Thesaurus terms are chosen carefully to be used over an extended period of time. Typically, many thesaurus terms are associated with an electronic file (such as a document, image file, or podcast) in a business’s collection. When a user searches for all items related to a concept or combination of concepts described by the thesaurus, the search engine easily finds them all. Thesaurus construction guidelines are published by national and international standards organizations.

S: 1. Etymonline – http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=thesaurus (last access: 27 December 2014). 2. TERMIUM PLUS (last access: 27 December 2014). 3. Accessinn – http://www.accessinn.com/archives/articles/what-is-a-thesaurus-why-is-it-important-to-your-business/ (last access: 27 December 2014).

SYN:
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CR: conceptual schema, hypertext.