PyWordNet is a Python interface to the WordNet database of word
meanings and lexical relationships. (A lexical relationship is a
relationship between words, such as synonym, antonym,
hypernym ("poodle" -> "dog"), and hyponym
("poodle" -> "dog").
PyWordNet presents a concise interface to WordNet, that allows the
user to type expressions such as N['dog'],
hyponyms(N['dog'][0]), and closure(ADJ['red'], SYNONYM) to
query the database.
If Python is already installed at your site, download PyWordNet from the project home page, at http://sourceforge.net/projects/pywordnet. For more information, read the documentation at the top of the source file, or skip to the example session Example Session below.
PyWordNet is hosted on SourceForge
Copyright (c) 1998-2001 by Oliver Steele. Use is permitted under the Artistic License.
Python 1.5 or later, available from http://www.python.org/download/. (For the MacOS, you can use MacPython, at http://www.python.org/download/download_mac.html.)
WordNet 1.6 or 1.7, available from http://www.cogsci.princeton.edu/~wn/. (PyWordNet only uses the data files.)
wordnet.py contains the core database access functions.
wntools.py contains the utility functions such as hyponyms,
meet, morphy, closure, etc. Importing wntools imports
all the public functions from both modules:
>>> from wntools import *
Retrieve a Word from the Noun database:
>>> N['dog'] dog(n.)
"Dog" has six senses:
>>> N['dog'].getSenses()
('dog' in {noun: dog, domestic dog, Canis familiaris},
'dog' in {noun: frump, dog}, 'dog' in {noun: dog},
'dog' in {noun: cad, bounder, blackguard, dog, hound, heel},
'dog' in {noun: pawl, detent, click, dog},
'dog' in {noun: andiron, firedog, dog, dogiron})Bind the first-listed sense to a variable, for easier access.
(word[0] is shorthand for word.getSenses()[0].)
>>> dog = N['dog'][0]
>>> dog
'dog' in {noun: dog, domestic dog, Canis familiaris}Retrieve all the relations, of any kind, that have this sense of "dog"
as the source. (dog.getPointers(HYPONYM) would retrieve the
hyponyms, or names of subcategories of this sense of "dog".)
>>> dog.getPointers()
(hypernym -> {noun: canine, canid},
member meronym -> {noun: Canis, genus Canis},
member meronym -> {noun: pack},
hyponym -> {noun: pooch, doggie, doggy, bow-wow},
hyponym -> {noun: cur, mongrel, mutt},
hyponym -> {noun: lapdog},
hyponym -> {noun: toy dog, toy},
hyponym -> {noun: hunting dog},
hyponym -> {noun: working dog},
hyponym -> {noun: dalmatian, coach dog, carriage dog},
hyponym -> {noun: basenji},
hyponym -> {noun: pug, pug-dog},
hyponym -> {noun: Newfoundland},
hyponym -> {noun: Great Pyrenees},
hyponym -> {noun: spitz},
hyponym -> {noun: griffon, Brussels griffon, Belgian griffon},
hyponym -> {noun: corgi, Welsh corgi},
hyponym -> {noun: poodle, poodle dog},
hyponym -> {noun: Mexican hairless},
part holonym -> {noun: flag})>>> dog.pointerTargets(MEMBER_MERONYM)
[{noun: Canis, genus Canis}, {noun: pack}]Hypernyms of "dog", and their hypernyms, and so on until the links
peter out. (hypernyms(dog) is a shortcut for the closure of this
particular relationship.)
>>> closure(dog, HYPERNYM)
['dog' in {noun: dog, domestic dog, Canis familiaris}, {noun: canine, canid},
{noun: carnivore}, {noun: placental, placental mammal, eutherian, eutherian
mammal}, {noun: mammal}, {noun: vertebrate, craniate}, {noun: chordate},
{noun: animal, animate being, beast, brute, creature, fauna}, {noun: life form,
organism, being, living thing}, {noun: entity, something}]
>>> cat = N['cat']The meet of two items is their most subordinate common concept:
>>> meet(dog, cat[0])
{noun: carnivore}
>>> meet(dog, N['person'][0])
{noun: life form, organism, being, living thing}
>>> meet(N['thought'][0], N['belief'][0])
{noun: content, cognitive content, mental object}Hyponyms of "dog" (n.) that are homophonous with verbs:
>>> filter(lambda sense:V.get(sense.form),
flatten1(map(lambda e:e.senses(), hyponyms(N['dog'][0]))))
['dog' in {noun: dog, domestic dog, Canis familiaris}, 'pooch' in {noun: pooch,
doggie, doggy, bow-wow}, 'toy' in {noun: toy dog, toy}, 'hound' in
{noun: hound, hound dog}, 'basset' in {noun: basset, basset hound}, 'cocker' in
{noun: cocker spaniel, English cocker spaniel, cocker}, 'bulldog' in {noun:
bulldog, English bulldog}]The first five adjectives that are transitively SIMILAR to red (there are 71 in all):
>>> closure(ADJ['red'][0], SIMILAR)
['red' in {adjective: red, reddish, ruddy, blood-red, carmine, cerise, cherry, cherry-red, crimson, ruby, ruby-red, scarlet}, {adjective: chromatic}, {adjective: amber, brownish-yellow, yellow-brown}, {adjective: amethyst}, {adjective: aureate, gilded, gilt, gold, golden}]Trace the senses of dog to the top concepts, and display the results in a readable form:
>>> from pprint import pprint
>>> pprint(tree(N['dog'], HYPERNYM))
[['dog' in {noun: dog, domestic dog, Canis familiaris},
[{noun: canine, canid},
[{noun: carnivore},
[{noun: placental, placental mammal, eutherian, eutherian mammal},
[{noun: mammal},
[{noun: vertebrate, craniate},
[{noun: chordate},
[{noun: animal, animate being, beast, brute, creature, fauna},
[{noun: life form, organism, being, living thing},
[{noun: entity, something}]]]]]]]]]],
['dog' in {noun: frump, dog},
[{noun: unpleasant woman, disagreeable woman},
[{noun: unpleasant person, disagreeable person},
[{noun: unwelcome person, persona non grata},
[{noun: person, individual, someone, somebody, mortal, human, soul},
[{noun: life form, organism, being, living thing},
[{noun: entity, something}]],
[{noun: causal agent, cause, causal agency},
[{noun: entity, something}]]]]]]],
['dog' in {noun: dog},
[{noun: chap, fellow, lad, gent, fella, blighter, cuss},
[{noun: male, male person},
[{noun: person, individual, someone, somebody, mortal, human, soul},
[{noun: life form, organism, being, living thing},
[{noun: entity, something}]],
[{noun: causal agent, cause, causal agency},
[{noun: entity, something}]]]]]],
['dog' in {noun: cad, bounder, blackguard, dog, hound, heel},
[{noun: villain, scoundrel},
[{noun: unwelcome person, persona non grata},
[{noun: person, individual, someone, somebody, mortal, human, soul},
[{noun: life form, organism, being, living thing},
[{noun: entity, something}]],
[{noun: causal agent, cause, causal agency},
[{noun: entity, something}]]]]]],
['dog' in {noun: pawl, detent, click, dog},
[{noun: catch, stop},
[{noun: restraint, constraint},
[{noun: device},
[{noun: instrumentality, instrumentation},
[{noun: artifact, artefact},
[{noun: object, physical object}, [{noun: entity, something}]]]]]]]],
['dog' in {noun: andiron, firedog, dog, dogiron},
[{noun: support},
[{noun: device},
[{noun: instrumentality, instrumentation},
[{noun: artifact, artefact},
[{noun: object, physical object}, [{noun: entity, something}]]]]]]]]