Providing definitions that are sensitive to the context of a text

Abstract

Systems and techniques for providing definitions to a user. The provision embodies the context of a text in which the defined term appears. In one aspect, a system includes an electronic device that includes one or more data processing devices programmed to respond to receipt of the user selection of the first term by performing operations. The operations include accessing, from the one or more persistent data storage devices, the characterizations of the contexts of the texts, comparing the accessed characterizations of the contexts of the texts with one or more characteristics of the context of the textual content of a media file, and ranking the definitions of the first term according to respective likelihoods that the definitions appropriately characterize the usage of the first term within the textual content of the media file.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system comprising:
 an electronic device comprising
 one or more persistent data storage devices storing
 multiple definitions of a first term, each of the definitions stored in association with a characterization of a context of texts in which the definition appropriately characterizes usage of the first term and 
 one or more media files that includes textual content, the textual content including the first term; 
 
 one or more display screens configured to display the textual content of a first of the media files; 
 one or more input elements configured to receive a user selection of the first term; and 
 one or more data processing devices programmed to respond to receipt of the user selection of the first term by performing operations comprising
 accessing, from the one or more persistent data storage devices, the characterizations of the contexts of the texts that are stored in association with the definitions of the first term, 
 comparing the accessed characterizations of the contexts of the texts with one or more characteristics of the context of the textual content, and 
 ranking the definitions of the first term according to respective likelihoods that the definitions appropriately characterize the usage of the first term within the textual content.