The excess body weight, its synonyms as a representation of the subject: dictionaries with the word

Abstract:

Excess body weight, its meanings and, above all, what words refer to the subject are the scope of this study. In this direction, online dictionaries are considered auxiliary sources for librarians in the process of thematic representation of information. Objective: to identify the conceptions related to the terms “Fat” and “Obese”. Methodology: a bibliographic survey was carried out, without delimitations as to the period, complemented by documentary research carried out in the dictionaries, of a qualitative and descriptive nature. Results: the interchangeable words presented in the entries "Fat" and "Obese", in their majority, bring a pejorative connotation, since their meanings refer to dirt, deformity, and lack of care with the body, contributing to the strengthening of a lipophobic society. Conclusions: the analyzed dictionaries, despite assuming social, pedagogical, and scientific functions, present words that promote human devaluation. Therefore, it is up to the librarian to reflect on the information contained in these sources before using them as support in their activities of thematic representation of informational resources.

Keywords:
obesity; information representation; Information Science; dictionaries