What does the semicolon in the dictionary definition of a word mean? [closed]
What follows the semicolon should not be considered as a separate definition, but either a clarification, or just a slightly different connotation of what is before the semicolon. If it were an entirely different definition, it would be listed under a separate number.
Because they're not using complete sentences, they need separators between the thoughts (part of a definition). Since it's possible that a single part of the definition for a word requires the use of a comma, a semicolon is used as a separator to avoid confusion.