What is the function of a dictionary in Java?

In Java, Dictionary is an abstract class used to store key-value pair data. It provides a data structure for mapping keys to values, allowing access and modification of corresponding values by keys, similar to the Map interface in Java.

The Dictionary class has methods such as put(key, value), get(key), remove(key), which can be used to store and retrieve key-value pair data. It is a simple data structure commonly used to implement functionality similar to a Map.

It is important to note that Dictionary is an abstract class and cannot be instantiated directly. You need to use its subclasses Hashtable or Properties to create objects. Hashtable is a specific subclass of Dictionary, which implements basic key-value pair storage functionality. Properties, on the other hand, is a subclass of Hashtable, mainly used for handling property files.