Labels


Labels, shown in italics, are used to indicate contextual information about the classification and usage of words.

Types of labels

Currency labels, such as historical, obsolete etc., are used to indicate words relating to particular historical contexts or no longer in current usage.

Dingaan's Day, noun phrase . . . 1. obsolete. The 16th of December 1838, the day of the Battle of Blood River
administrator, noun . . . historical a. Prior to Union in 1910: the chief executive officer of any territory in South Africa which was situated beyond the borders of the Cape Colony

Frequency labels, such as rare, indicate if a word is commonly used.

blikskottel, noun . . . 1. rare. A tin basin
field, noun . . . b. rare. The gold fields of the Transvaal

Specialist subject labels, such as Law, Geology and Wagon-making, mark the vocabulary of specialised domains.

kinderbewys, noun . . .Law . . . A deed or bond made by the surviving spouse of a couple married in community of property, in order to secure the amounts due to minor children
disselboom, noun . . . Wagon-making . . . The pole or single shaft of an ox-wagon or horse-drawn cart

Register labels, such as slang, colloquial, jocular etc., give an indication of appropriate usage in relation to particular formal and informal social contexts. Lables of Attitude, derogatory and offensive, are used to mark words that detract from the character or standing of a person or group of people and may cause offence.

Sun City, noun phrase prison slang . . . A nickname for Diepkloof prison (Gauteng Province)
moegoe, noun . . . derogatory, colloquial . . . In urban (especially township) English: a country bumpkin or rustic

Geographical labels, often nested in notes, indicate regional usage or derivation of a headword or subheadword from another language or variety of English.

bughouse, noun A run-down or second-rate cinema. Note: Also Australian and British English

Grammar labels give information about grammatical characteristics or indicate when these deviate from the general norm, for example noncount, passive, predicative etc.

laager, verb . . . 2. transitive and reflexive. To encamp (persons, or oneself and one's companions) in a strong defensive position in a laager. Usually passive

Other labels such as figurative, transferred, elliptical, and nonce also give information about the contextual usage of terms.

Codesa, noun . . . 2. transferred sense. Any discussion between interest groups or parties holding widely divergent views
dorp, noun . . . b. . . . outdorp nonce, a small satellite village
tickey, noun . . . II. Figurative senses. 3. Designating that which is inexpensive

Multiple labelling

In cases where more than one label may apply to a headword, currency labels precede labels indicating specialist domains; these are followed by labels of attitude, register and frequency.

duckie, noun1 . . . obsolescent, colloquial . . . a. The ducktail hairstyle
dry digging, verbal noun phrase . . . historical, Diamond-mining . . . a. A mining operation in which diamonds were extracted from weathered ground

Position of labels

A label which informs all senses follows the initial part(s) of speech at the headword; one which informs a single sense precedes that sense. Some labels are found in notes while others are nested in or follow immediately after definitions.