How can a meaning be understood if it has only an arbitrary identifying code?
Users can understand PanLex’s meanings by inspecting the expressions for those meanings. For example, instead of reading a definition such as “a substance made from wood pulp, rags, straw, or other fibrous material, usually in thin sheets, used to bear writing or printing, for wrapping things, etc.”, people can look at expressions to which a meaning has been assigned, such as “paper” in an English, “бумага” in a Russian, or “ペーパー” in a Japanese variety. Users who consider it valuable to attach verbal definitions (or “glosses”) to meanings are able to do so. They can do this by giving expressions metadata that consist of such definitions. If an expression has only one meaning, such a metadatum can be considered a gloss in the variety for the meaning.
