History Main / DictionaryOpening

A trope commonly seen in trailers for movies and video games as well as in the actual material where one of the first things shown to the viewer is the definition of an existing but uncommon word or one that solely exists within the fictional universe portrayed. Either way, the word tends to be [[ArcWord central to the story]]. The definition tends to be formatted as if coming straight out of a dictionary or encyclopedia and may include a reference to an actual in-universe book.

Oftentimes the word will be an ArcWord.

* The music video of the Music/{{Vocaloid}} song "Gift from the Princess Who Brought Sleep", from the "Seven Deadly Sins" sub-series of Music/{{mothy}}'s ''Franchise/EvilliousChronicles'' series, opens with an entry from an English-to-Japanese dictionary defining the word "gift", which is also the GratuitousEnglish ArcWord of the song. [[spoiler:Or so it seems. About halfway through the video, the dictionary entry is shown again, only to be replaced with a ''German''-to-Japanese dictionary entry -- and in German, "Gift" means "poison".]]

* PDF liner notes for the MP3 album [[https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/100679-requiem-reimagined-soundtrack-released/ Requiem Reimagined]] open with the definitions of the two words:

-->WITCHERS, so called by the Nordlings (q.v.), were an elite and mysterious caste of warrior-monks. They are portrayed in popular lore as posessing magic powers and superhuman abilities. W. were believed to combat evil spirits, beasts and all manner of dark forces. In reality (...) w. served the monarchs of the North in the tribal wars they waged against one another.

SubTrope of {{Epigraph}}.

* ''LightNovel/MadanNoOuToVanadis'' anime adaptation offers "dictionary entry" cards each episode.

[[quoteright:350:[[Film/PacificRim http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pacific_rim_opening.jpg]]]]

* ''Series/TheMentalist'' season 1 starts with a black screen wich the following text slowly fading in:

[[SelfDemonstratingArticle Dictionary opening (noun)]]: A trope commonly seen in trailers for movies and video games as well as in the actual material where one of the first things shown to the viewer is the definition of an existing but uncommon word or one that solely exists within the fictional universe portrayed. Either way, the word tends to be [[ArcWord central to the story]]. The definition tends to be formatted as if coming straight out of a dictionary or encyclopedia and may include a reference to an actual in-universe book.

[[SelfDemonstratingArticle Dictionary opening (noun)]]: A trope commonly seen in trailers for movies and video games as well as in the actual material where one of the first things shown to the viewer is the definition of an existing but uncommon word or one that solely exists within the fictional universe portrayed. Either way, the word tends to be [[ArcWord central to the story]]. Said definition tends to be formatted as if coming straight out of a dictionary or encyclopedia and may include a reference to an actual in-universe book.

[[quoteright:350:[[Film/PulpFiction http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ictionary_opening_pulp_fiction.jpg]]]]

[[quoteright:350:[[Film/PulpFiction http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pulp_fiction_opening.jpg]]]]

* ''Film/BladeRunner'' started with definitions of "Replicants", "Nexus/Nexus 6" and "Blade Runner".
-->Early in the 21st Century, THE TYRELL CORPORATION advanced robot evolution into the NEXUS phase - a being virtually identical to a human - known as a Replicant.
-->The NEXUS 6 Replicants were superior in strength and agility, and at least equal in intelligence, to the genetic engineers who created them.
-->Replicants were used off-world as slave labor, in the hazardous exploration and colonization of other planets.
-->After a bloody mutiny by a NEXUS 6 combat team in an Off-world colony, Replicants were declared illegal on Earth - under penalty of death.
-->Special police squads - BLADE RUNNER UNITS - had orders to shoot to kill, upon detection, any trespassing Replicant.

* ''Film/{{Sicario}}'' opens with a black screen explaining in text what "sicario" means (it comes from the Roman zealots who occupied Palestine and it means "hitman" in Mexico), though it's not in a dictionary structure.

!!Examples

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]

* ''LightNovel/MadanNoOuToVanadis'' anime adaptation offers "dictionary entry" cards each episode. I think it was two per episode (one at start, one in the middle), but I can't provide more certain specifics due to lack of being familiar with it.

-->@@HALT AND CATCH FIRE (HCF)\\

Control of the computer could not be regained.@@

* ''Film/{{Twister}}'' opened with the dictionary definition of a tornado.

* ''Film/{{Dogma}}'' opens with "Disclaimer: 1) a renunciation of any claim to or connection with; 2) disavowal; 3) a statement made to save one's own ass."

* ''Series/TheMentalist'' season 1 starts with a black screen wich the following text slowly fading in:
-->mentalist /'men-te-list/ noun. Someone who uses mental acuity, hypnosis and/or suggestion. A master manipulator of thoughts and behavior.
* Every episode (there may have been exceptions) of ''Series/CSICyber'' opened with a hacking term significant to the episode and its definition.

* The first teaser for Disney's ''Disney/{{Zootopia}}'' has the word anthropomorphic appear in large Courier typeface, which the red fox character pushes away. The narrator defines it as "that's just a big, fancy word that means they walk around on two feet, they do not go to work nude ..." The same mechanism applies to the title itself, which likewise appears in large, all-caps Courier typeface, and is defined as a world in which humans never happened.

* ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries'': The Pyramid of Light movie starts with giving the definition of "abridged", then of YuGiOh.

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!!Indices: ParaText, SelfDemonstratingArticle