Came here to say this! This program would be even cooler if it supported the dict protocol in addition to scraping OED.

The dict protocol and CLI tool [1] were invented to solve the exact problem of browsing dictionaries without a bloaty web browser. You may wish to check them out.

On debian, sudo apt-get install dict, and you're off and running.

The most popular dict server may also be queried via a web UI [2] if you'd like to try it out before installing any software. It queries a few public-domain dictionaries, WordNet, plus some fun stuff like the Jargon File.

This being an open standard, you may also run your own dict server if you wish. It's pretty cool. dict has become a vital part of my CLI workflow since I discovered it many years ago. Its only downside is that it's blocked by some corporate firewalls =(

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DICT

[2] http://www.dict.org/bin/Dict

Thanks for the feedback! I will definitely check them out. The problem you pointed out (firing up a bloaty browser) is exactly the problem I am facing, hence the birth of Vocab. I am not a native speaker, so one of my goals is also to add some supporting features to help people learn English.

What is the problem you are facing?

I think the question is how does this compare/contrast with the dict command, a common utility that uses the Dictionary Server Protocol to query dictionaries from the command line.

Getting a definition or spelling correction for a word or a list of synonyms and antonyms, maybe a brief etymology, without interrupting my workflow at the command line or opening a slow heavy program like a web browser or office suite.

Wow, thanks alot for the feedback. To be honest, I didn't know the 'dict' command prior to your reply (what a shame lol). It is true that 'dict' is much more lightweight and robust, but since I myself is ESL, this was initially aimed at ESL-people, so I added some features to help them learn English.