 | This is anessay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article or aWikipedia policy, as it has not beenreviewed by the community. |
 | This page in a nutshell: The dictionary is probably a better source than you are. |
Lexicology (fromAncient Greek λεξικός, romanized as lexikós, “of words”) is the branch oflinguistics that studieswords, the relations between words (e.g.semantic relations), and the whole lexicon.
Lexicography is divided into two related disciplines: practical and theoretical. Practical lexicography is the art orcraft of compiling, writing and editingdictionaries. Theoretical lexicography is the scholarly study of the relationships within thelexicon (vocabulary) of alanguage as well as dictionary components and structures linking the data in dictionaries. This is sometimes referred to as metalexicography.
Whenedit wars occur over thelead paragraph of acontroversial topic, people may turn to moreNPOV sources, like thedictionary. The dictionary is one source among many that is generally considered more authoritative than personal opinion.
Sometimes, for complex topics likehomophobia,marriage, ortruth, the dictionary seems inadequate. Wikipedians can and do argue over whether the definition is accurate, or which sense of a word is prevalent in mainstream usage. You may not like the dictionary definition, but if it is areputable dictionary, it generally carries more weight on Wikipedia than your personal opinion. On average, you can't make it disappear from the article simply by claiming that "it is a bad definition" based on your (explicitly or implicitly asserted) status as an expert on the writing of dictionaries. This is becauseyou are probably not a lexicologist or a lexicographer.
Let’s face it, you are probably not trained in lexicology or lexicography. You may have opinions aboutsemantics (how words are defined or used within alexicon), or how you would have written the dictionary, but your opinion does not countervail the efforts of trained lexicographers.
When faced with a dictionary definition that you disagree with, your alternatives are limited; you can either find a better dictionary with a better definition, or you can citereputable sources that discuss the changing meaning of a given word. What you cannot do is discount the definition by claiming to know a lot about words and dictionary writing.You are probably not a lexicologist or a lexicographer.Even if you are, youstill need to cite sources.
Not all Wikipedians agree with these sentiments. Several arguments are as follows: