diff --git a/src/doc/trpl/SUMMARY.md b/src/doc/trpl/SUMMARY.md
index 9d65f30e72379..f2eadc3c33e37 100644
--- a/src/doc/trpl/SUMMARY.md
+++ b/src/doc/trpl/SUMMARY.md
@@ -36,3 +36,4 @@
     * [Macros](macros.md)
     * [Compiler Plugins](plugins.md)
 * [Conclusion](conclusion.md)
+* [Glossary](glossary.md)
diff --git a/src/doc/trpl/glossary.md b/src/doc/trpl/glossary.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..156f33748673b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/doc/trpl/glossary.md
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+% Glossary
+
+Not every Rustacean has a background in systems programming, nor in computer
+science, so we've added explanations of terms that might be unfamiliar.
+
+### Arity
+
+Arity refers to the number of arguments a function or operation takes.
+
+```rust
+let x = (2, 3);
+let y = (4, 6);
+let z = (8, 2, 6);
+```
+
+In the example above `x` and `y` have arity 2. `z` has arity 3.