Section 4.7 Specialized Divisions
There are six divisions that have specialized functions, and therefore have less generic names than ones like <chapter> or <section>. They are <exercises>, <reading-questions>, <solutions>, <references>, <glossary>, and <worksheet>. They have some features in common, such as having a <title>, but each is different from the other in substantial ways.
Generally, a specialized division may be placed within any other division (Section 4.6), and it will behave like a subdivision of that division. Some may be placed in the back matter and may behave as a version relevant to the entire document. This section describes the specifics for each type of specialized division.
Subsection 4.7.1 (*) References (Lists of Works Cited)
Subsection 4.7.2 Glossary
A <glossary> division may be placed in any main matter division, and once in the <backmatter>.
After a <title>, index entries, and other metadata, a <glossary> division may begin with an optional <headnote>, which can use paragraphs to explain anything unusual about a particular glossary.
The remainder of a glossary is a sequence of items to explain. Typically these are words, phrases, initialisms, or acronyms. Each item is a “glossary item”, enclosed in a shorthand <gi> element. The element must lead with a <title>, which is the term being explained. The explanation itself follows, typically in a sequence of paragraphs, but unnumbered items, such as an <image> may also be used. It is the author's responsibility to create the list in the desired order. Automatic divisions (by initial letter) could be reasonable feature request, perhaps especially for a final, overall, back matter glossary, much like an index.
For an example, see the glossary in the back matter of this Guide.