The Health and Environment Lexicon: Multi-language glossary of health & environment terminology
To promote a common understanding of technical terms related to health and environment issues WHO has created an on-line searchable database containing glossary information with multi-language terminology equivalence, called The Health and Environment Lexicon (THE Lexicon). This work builds on a multilingual (English/French/Spanish/ Portuguese/German) glossary developed by CEPIS - the WHO/PAHO Pan-American Centre for Sanitary Engineering and Environmental Sciences, and first published in 1995.
The objective of this project is to make health and environment terms available in at least the six WHO official languages, Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish and to progressively include "glossary" entries for important terms. These are based in priority on definitions provided in WHO publications as well as on the material published by other UN organizations and international institutions. The definitions proposed are reviewed and validated by an international group of experts. We would like to express our thanks to this group whose efforts make this project possible.
The Lexicon is also intended to cover the needs of a number of specialist themes or topics, such as small community water supplies, risk assessment and sanitation.
The database is currently available at the following location:
This is an on-going project which has three phases, listed in order of priority:
- translations;
- definitions; and
- explanations and examples.
The Lexicon is being extended, completed and improved progressively with all three phases being addressed simultaenously for some terms.
If you would like to be considered as a potential reviewer or if you have any comments, suggestions or additions, please email to thelexicon@who.int.