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look(1)
NAME
  look - Finds lines in a sorted list

SYNOPSIS
  look [-df] [-tcharacter] string [file]

  The look command prints all lines in a sorted file that begin with string.

OPTIONS
  -d  Uses dictionary order; only letters, digits, tabs, and spaces are used
      in comparisons.

  -f  Searches without regard to case; treats uppercase and lowercase as
      equivalent.

  -tcharacter
      Ignores character and characters following it in the search string.  If
      you specify look -tC ABCDE, the string ABCDE would become (in effect)
      AB, with CDE being ignored.  This option is primarily for shell
      scripts, in which more than one string is being processed.

DESCRIPTION
  If no file is specified, look searches in the system word list
  /usr/share/dict/words, with the options -df assumed by default.

  The look command uses binary search.

  The -d and -f options affect comparisons as in sort.

NOTES
  In order to use the -f option, you must first sort file with the sort -f
  command; otherwise, look displays only lowercase items.

  If you do not specify -f, but specify a file (such as
  /usr/share/dict/words) that has been sorted with sort -f, look may not
  produce any output.

EXAMPLES
   1.  To search a sorted file called sortfile for all lines that begin with
       the string as, enter:
	    look as sortfile

   2.  To search the system word list for all words beginning with smi,
       enter:
	    look smi

       This might result in:
	    smile
	    smirk
	    smith
	    smithereens
	    Smithfield
	    Smithson
	    smithy
	    smitten

FILES
  /usr/share/dict/words
      System word list.

SEE ALSO
  Commands:  grep(1), sort(1), spell(1)

Index for Section 1

Alphabetical listing for L

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