WD2001: Define Command Is Not Available on Contextual Menu (299827)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Word 2001 for Macintosh
This article was previously published under Q299827

SYMPTOMS

When you hold down CONTROL and click a word in a document, Define is unavailable (appears dimmed) on the contextual menu that appears. However, the Dictionary command is available from the Tools menu.

CAUSE

Office 2001 for Mac does not include an international English dictionary, but it does include an English (U.S.) dictionary. When the proofing language is set to any language other than English (U.S.), the Define command is not available.

If the proofing language is set to a different version of the English language, the Dictionary command is available, but it only searches the English (U.S.) dictionary.

WORKAROUND

To work around this behavior, use the Dictionary command from the Tools menu to define a word.

NOTE: The definitions and spelling will be English (U.S.).

MORE INFORMATION

The Define command is sensitive to the proofing language that is applied to the selected text, and is only available when the language for the selected text is set to English (U.S.). To verify or modify which proofing language is selected, follow these steps:
  1. In a Word document, select the text in question.
  2. From the Tools menu, select Language.
  3. In the Language dialog box, the language that is currently selected is the language that is applied to the selected text. If you want, select a different language to be applied to the selected text.
NOTE: The proofing language setting is part of the font formatting; therefore, you can select a different proofing language for different words and characters throughout the document.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:10/14/2002
Keywords:kbprb KB299827
©2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.