What is Reference.com?
{{Infobox website|name=Reference.com|logo=Reference-com logo.svg|url={{URL|http://www.reference.com}}|type=[[Online encyclopedia]], [[dictionary]], [[thesaurus]]|language=English, Spanish|owner=[[IAC (company)|IAC]]|launch_date={{Start date and age|1997|2}}}}'''Reference.com''' is an [[online encyclopedia]] that organizes content that uses a question-and-answer format. Articles are organized into hierarchical categories. Before [[IAC (company)|IAC]] restructured the site following an acquisition in 2008, Reference.com comprised multiple reference works, and disclosed its sources. == History == Reference.com was launched by InReference, Inc in February 1997.<ref>{{cite web|date=10 July 2019|title=Reference.com Goes Live as the Most Comprehensive Internet Forums Service|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-19088675.html|publisher=[[Business Wire]]}}{{dead link|date=July 2019|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The site was later acquired by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. In 2005, Lexico announced that Reference.com would begin offering searches of [[Wikipedia]] content.<ref>{{cite web|date=15 September 2005|title=Reference.com Expands Content by Adding Wikipedia Encyclopedia to Search Capabilities|url=https://www.apkkingz.com/2019/07/google-translate.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090225094122/http://www.lexico.com/about/pr20050915.html|archive-date=25 February 2009|access-date=30 October 2008|publisher=Lexico Publishing Group|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The popularity of [[Dictionary.com]] had been greatly boosted by [[Google]]'s practice of offering a link at the top of their search results that goes to the Dictionary.com definition.{{citation needed|date=November 2019}} This exclusive relationship was terminated without explanation to the public when the Google links were redirected to definitions at [[Answers.com]]. (In December 2009, the Answers.com links were replaced with Google's own dictionary.) Google added a Dictionary.com definition link for certain search words in a non-exc