Editing Thesaurus (section)

===Conceptual===
Roget's original thesaurus was organized into 1000 conceptual Heads (e.g., 806 Debt) organized into a four-level [[taxonomy (general)|taxonomy]]. For example, debt is classed under V.{{Smallcaps|ii}}.iv:<ref>Peter Mark Roget, ''Thesaurus of English words and phrases, classified so as to facilitate the expression of ideas'', 1853, [https://books.google.com/books?id=2c4WAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA204 V.{{Smallcaps|ii}}.iv, p. 204]</ref>
:Class five, ''Volition: the exercise of the will''
::Division Two: ''Social volition''
:::Section 4: ''Possessive Relations''
::::Subsection 4: ''Monetary relations''.
Each head includes direct synonyms: Debt, obligation, liability, ...; related concepts: interest, usance, usury; related persons: debtor, debitor, ... defaulter (808); verbs: to be in debt, to owe, ... ''see'' Borrow (788); phrases: to run up a bill or score, ...; and adjectives: in debt, indebted, owing, .... Numbers in parentheses are [[cross-reference]]s to other Heads.

The book starts with a Tabular Synopsis of Categories laying out the hierarchy,<ref>Roget, ''op.cit.'' [https://books.google.com/books?id=2c4WAAAAQAAJ&pg=PR26 p. xxvi]</ref> then the main body of the thesaurus listed by the Head, and then an alphabetical index listing the different Heads under which a word may be found: Liable, ''subject to'', 177; ''debt'', 806; ''duty'', 926.<ref>Roget, ''op.cit.'' [https://books.google.com/books?id=2c4WAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA349 p. 349]</ref>

Some recent versions have kept the same organization, though often with more detail under each Head.<ref>''e.g.'', George Davidson, ed., ''Thesaurus of English words and phrases'' (150th Anniversary Edition), Penguin, 2002, {{isbn|0141004428}}, p. 454</ref> Others have made modest changes such as eliminating the four-level taxonomy and adding new heads: one has 1075 Heads in fifteen Classes.<ref>[[Barbara Ann Kipfer]], ed., ''Roget's International Thesaurus'', 7th edition, Collins Reference, 2010, {{isbn|9780061715228}}</ref>

Some non-English thesauri have also adopted this model.<ref>Daniel Péchoin, ''Thésaurus Larousse'', Larousse 1991, {{isbn|9782033201074}}</ref>

In addition to its taxonomic organization, the ''[[Historical Thesaurus of English]]'' (2009) includes the date when each word came to have a given meaning. It has the novel and unique goal of "charting the semantic development of the huge and varied vocabulary of English".

Different senses of a word are listed separately. For example, three different senses of "debt" are listed in three different places in the taxonomy:<ref>Christian Kay, Jane Roberts, Michael Samuels, Irené Wotherspoon, ''Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary'', Oxford University Press 2009, {{isbn|9780199208999}}, p. ix</ref>
<br/>'''A sum of money that is owed or due; a liability or obligation to pay'''<br/>
:Society
::Trade and Finance
:::Management of Money
::::Insolvency
:::::Indebtedness [noun]
<br/>'''An immaterial debt; is an obligation to do something'''<br/>
:Society
::Morality
:::Duty or obligation
::::[noun]
<br/>'''An offence requiring expiation (figurative, Biblical)'''<br/>
:Society
::Faith
:::Aspects of faith
::::Spirituality
:::::Sin
::::::[noun]
:::::::instance of