India following facist model according to Indian author 1727

Just showed that your word usage was correct, at least according to this dictionary. If, for some perverted reason, you want to show that your word usage is incorrect, why don't you try to find a source that says you should't have used the word the way you did?

You still seem to be missing the difference between a dictionary and an encyclopedia, and also seem to be forgetting the nature of a wiki. In fact, if you had read the beginning of the material you quoted from wikipedia, you would have seen the limited scope of the quoted article. Sure you did. You imagined, through some bizarre lack of comprehension, that the definition I quoted to show that your word usage was correct was my favorite definition. If I had to pick a favorite, I would probably choose, from a different dictionary, "3 : characterized by or conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a profession", with profession here used in the sense of "1 : a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation" But picking that as my favorite does not mean I don't recognize the myriad other definitions of the word, and use it in most of those other ways when appropriate to the context.

Sure, and sometimes one dictionary will completely miss a definition that another dictionary will mention. That is why an effort such as Kamal's to show that a particular word use is inappropriate by citing the lack of that usage in one dictionary is not valid.

I absolutely do recognize that. That is why, in the original discussion that got you so worked up about dictionaries, I asked you if you knew of ANY dictionary that gave a definition of "gradient" consistent with your use of the word to describe conflicts. I knew that a couple of standard dictionaries I saw didn't, but I don't have access to or interest in researching all of them, and thought that if you knew of some arcane field where the word was used that way, you might know of a source, either a dictionary or a writer other than yourself, that showed that usage.

Whoops, sloppy wording on my part. To avoid that misreading, I should have said "according to any of the definitions of that word I have seen in a dictionary"

No. If you want to insist that you were using the word incorrectly, you certainly may. I'll reserve the right to state that I think you were right, but will not attempt to in any way prevent you from saying that you were using the word incorrectly. This is really strange!

Well, I think you have said that your dictionary usage development was arrested at the thrid-grade level. It is beginning to show. You could begin to catch up by reading the wikipedia article on dictionaries, particularly the discussion of prescription versus description, which seems to be where you are getting hung up. That is one of many meanings of "identify", but most people would be able to discern that the word was being used in a different way here.

Not confused at all. But I have a little more flexibility in word usage than it appears you do, if that is the only use of "identify" that you can think of.

Absolutely not. I thought everyone knew that. But maybe they taught that in 4th grade.

Absolutely. If one does not have a definition that seems to fit, think about the context and see if another dictionary such as a technical or slang dictionary provides a definition that fits.

Yes I am. In this imperfect world, that seems to be the best way to get definitions. But I'd be interested in hearing a suggestion for a better way.

And just like the dictionary writers accurately described.

Not a big deal at all--just pointing out that the dictionary writers agreed with your usage. Why does it upset you so much to use a word in a way that others, including dictionary writers, recognize?

It was a 17-line post (including headers, quoted lines, etc.), complimenting you on your standard word usage. That acknowledgment of your correct word usage apparently so upset you that you fired off a 162-line reply. There may be mountain out of ant hill making going on here, but methinks you have misidentified the source.

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