Accessing word definitions via a web server

Several dictionaries on the Web offer an API to interact with their website via scripts. This recipe demonstrates how to use a popular one.

Getting ready

We are going to use curl, sed, and grep for this define utility. There are a lot of dictionary websites where you can register and use their APIs for personal use for free. In this example, we are using Merriam-Webster's dictionary API. Perform the following steps:

1. Go to http://www.dictionaryapi.com/register/index.htm, and register an account for yourself. Select Collegiate Dictionary and Learner's Dictionary:
2. Log in using the newly created account and go to My Keys to access the keys. Note the key for the learner's dictionary.

How to do it...

This script will display a word definition:

#!/bin/bash 
#Filename: define.sh 
#Desc: A script to fetch definitions from dictionaryapi.com 

key=YOUR_API_KEY_HERE 

if  [ $# -ne 2 ]; 
then 
  echo -e "Usage: $0 WORD NUMBER" 
  exit -1; 
fi 

curl --silent \
http...