dannyman.toldme.com

Quick Unix Tip: “Look”

You may already know about /usr/dict/words, /usr/local/share/dict/words, /usr/share/dict/words or wherever it is on your local system that the list of English-language words is installed. I don’t know how many times I have egrepped this file to check my spelling.

Apparently though, there’s been a handy command available since Version 7 AT&T UNIX. It is called “look” and it is handy for looking up words.

0-9:46 djh@otech ~> look spell
spell
spellable
spellbind
spellbinder
spellbinding
spellbound
spellcraft
spelldown
speller
spellful
spelling
spellingdown
spellingly
spellmonger
spellproof
spellword
spellwork
0-13:06 djh@otech ~> look success
success
successful
successfully
successfulness
succession
successional
successionally
successionist
successionless
successive
successively
successiveness
successivity
successless
successlessly
successlessness
successor
successoral
successorship
successory

Not quite as powerful as egrep, but it saves you from having to recall the location of your local words file.

The dict command, available as a FreeBSD port, is not nearly as ubiquitous, but once installed, can be handy for looking up words.

0-13:10 djh@otech ~> look ubiquit
ubiquit
Ubiquitarian
ubiquitarian
Ubiquitarianism
ubiquitariness
ubiquitary
Ubiquitism
Ubiquitist
ubiquitous
ubiquitously
ubiquitousness
ubiquity
0-13:10 djh@otech ~> dict ubiquitous
2 definitions found
 
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
 
  Ubiquitous U*biq"ui*tous, a. [See {Ubiquity}.]
     Existing or being everywhere, or in all places, at the same
     time; omnipresent. -- {U*biq"ui*tous*ly}, adv.
 
           In this sense is he ubiquitous.          --R. D.
                                                    Hitchcock.
 
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
 
  ubiquitous
       adj : being present everywhere at once [syn: {omnipresent}]