A Latin Dictionary
Encyclopedia
A Latin Dictionary is a popular English
-language lexicographical
work of the Latin language, completed in 1879, published by Oxford University Press
, and still widely used by classical scholars and Latinists.
of an earlier Latin-German
dictionary, Wörterbuch der Lateinischen Sprache, by the German philologist
Wilhelm Freund
. The Andrews translation was partially revised by Freund himself, then by Henry Drisler
, and was finally edited by Short and Lewis.
The division of labour between the two editors was remarkably unequal. Short was solely responsible for the entries beginning with the letter A (216 pages); Lewis was solely responsible for the entries beginning with the letters B through Z (1803 pages). This may account for the more prominent billing Lewis received in the dictionary's title.
The dictionary's full text is available on-line from the Perseus Project
. Lewis and Short is also available for off-line consultation, by means of various applications.
Lewis and Short's Latin Dictionary is not to be confused with the Oxford Latin Dictionary
, a more modern lexicon on a similar scale, also published by Oxford and edited by P. G. W. Glare.
, called the OLD for short. Lewis and Short incorporated material from existing Latin dictionaries; the OLD, by contrast, started from scratch, following procedures similar to those of the well-regarded Oxford English Dictionary
. Thanks to increased availability of modern editions, the OLD editors had access to a larger variety of classical works. Although classicists still consult Lewis and Short, they tend to prefer the OLD.
On the other hand, Lewis and Short remains a standard reference work for medievalists, renaissance specialists, and early modernists, as the dictionary covers Late and Medieval Latin, if somewhat inconsistently. The OLD, when used on its own, rarely meets their needs, since it was decided early in the OLD's planning that the work would not encompass works written later than AD 200. A few exceptions were made for especially important texts from the late classical period, such as Augustine
's De Civitate Dei, but for periods later than that the OLD is considerably less useful. The forthcoming Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources
will supplement the OLD for medieval usage of Latin words.
In cases where Lewis and Short do not answer a medieval usage question, J. F. Niermeyer's Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus often supplies an answer. The Lexicon Minus was completed in 1976 by C. van de Kieft after Niermeyer's death, and has since become a standard reference work. More recent editions of the Lexicon Minus have corrections and expansions; also, in later editions all words are defined in both English, French, and German, making it of greater international importance than Lewis and Short. The Glossarium ad scriptores media et infirmae latinitatis completed in 1678 by Charles du Fresne
(commonly referred to as Du Cange after the author's title, the Sieur du Cange) is now less frequently used, as Niermeyer's Lexicon Minus incorporates much of its information.
In 1890 Lewis published a heavily abridged version of Lewis and Short, entitled An Elementary Latin Dictionary for the use of students. Sometimes called the Elementary Lewis, it is still in print today, and remains a useful reference for students.
On occasion people confuse Lewis and Short (or L&S) with Liddell and Scott, its Greek
counterpart, entitled A Greek–English Lexicon. The 1945 and later editions of Liddell and Scott are commonly referred to by the abbreviation LSJ after the names of its editors Liddell
, Scott
and the editor of the 1945 revision, Jones
.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
-language lexicographical
Lexicography
Lexicography is divided into two related disciplines:*Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionaries....
work of the Latin language, completed in 1879, published by Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, and still widely used by classical scholars and Latinists.
History
The work's full title is A Latin Dictionary: Founded on Andrews' Edition of Freund's Latin Dictionary: Revised, Enlarged, and in Great Part Rewritten by Charlton T. Lewis, Ph.D. and Charles Short, LL.D. It is usually referred to as Lewis and Short after the names of its editors, Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short. It was derived from the 1850 English translation by Ethan Allen AndrewsEthan Allen Andrews
Ethan Allen Andrews was an American educator. He was born in Connecticut and graduated at Yale in 1810. He practiced law for several years, then was professor in the University of North Carolina of ancient languages, after which he taught at New Haven and Boston...
of an earlier Latin-German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
dictionary, Wörterbuch der Lateinischen Sprache, by the German philologist
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
Wilhelm Freund
Wilhelm Freund
Wilhelm Freund was a German Jewish philologist, born at Kempen. He studied education at Berlin and Breslau, and was chiefly occupied in teaching till 1870, when he retired in order to devote himself to his literary pursuits...
. The Andrews translation was partially revised by Freund himself, then by Henry Drisler
Henry Drisler
Henry Drisler was an American classical scholar, born on Staten Island, New York, USA.Drisler graduated at Columbia College in 1839, taught classics in the Columbia grammar school for four years, and was then appointed tutor in classics in the college...
, and was finally edited by Short and Lewis.
The division of labour between the two editors was remarkably unequal. Short was solely responsible for the entries beginning with the letter A (216 pages); Lewis was solely responsible for the entries beginning with the letters B through Z (1803 pages). This may account for the more prominent billing Lewis received in the dictionary's title.
The dictionary's full text is available on-line from the Perseus Project
Perseus Project
The Perseus Project is a digital library project of Tufts University that assembles digital collections of humanities resources. It is hosted by the Department of Classics. It has suffered at times from computer hardware problems, and its resources are occasionally unavailable...
. Lewis and Short is also available for off-line consultation, by means of various applications.
Lewis and Short's Latin Dictionary is not to be confused with the Oxford Latin Dictionary
Oxford Latin Dictionary
The Oxford Latin Dictionary is the standard lexicon of Classical Latin, completed in 1982.The dictionary professes to be "independent alike of Lewis & Short on the one hand and of the Thesaurus Linguae Latinae on the other." It "is based on an entirely fresh reading of the Latin sources...
, a more modern lexicon on a similar scale, also published by Oxford and edited by P. G. W. Glare.
Comparison with other dictionaries
Among classicists, Lewis and Short has been largely superseded by the Oxford Latin DictionaryOxford Latin Dictionary
The Oxford Latin Dictionary is the standard lexicon of Classical Latin, completed in 1982.The dictionary professes to be "independent alike of Lewis & Short on the one hand and of the Thesaurus Linguae Latinae on the other." It "is based on an entirely fresh reading of the Latin sources...
, called the OLD for short. Lewis and Short incorporated material from existing Latin dictionaries; the OLD, by contrast, started from scratch, following procedures similar to those of the well-regarded Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
. Thanks to increased availability of modern editions, the OLD editors had access to a larger variety of classical works. Although classicists still consult Lewis and Short, they tend to prefer the OLD.
On the other hand, Lewis and Short remains a standard reference work for medievalists, renaissance specialists, and early modernists, as the dictionary covers Late and Medieval Latin, if somewhat inconsistently. The OLD, when used on its own, rarely meets their needs, since it was decided early in the OLD's planning that the work would not encompass works written later than AD 200. A few exceptions were made for especially important texts from the late classical period, such as Augustine
Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo , also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, was Bishop of Hippo Regius . He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province...
's De Civitate Dei, but for periods later than that the OLD is considerably less useful. The forthcoming Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources
Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources
The Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources is a lexicon of Medieval Latin, published by Oxford University Press for the British Academy, and sometimes referred to as simply the Dictionary of Medieval Latin or the Medieval Latin Dictionary. After decades of preparatory work, the...
will supplement the OLD for medieval usage of Latin words.
In cases where Lewis and Short do not answer a medieval usage question, J. F. Niermeyer's Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus often supplies an answer. The Lexicon Minus was completed in 1976 by C. van de Kieft after Niermeyer's death, and has since become a standard reference work. More recent editions of the Lexicon Minus have corrections and expansions; also, in later editions all words are defined in both English, French, and German, making it of greater international importance than Lewis and Short. The Glossarium ad scriptores media et infirmae latinitatis completed in 1678 by Charles du Fresne
Charles du Fresne, sieur du Cange
Charles du Fresne, sieur du Cange or Ducange was a distinguished philologist and historian of the Middle Ages and Byzantium....
(commonly referred to as Du Cange after the author's title, the Sieur du Cange) is now less frequently used, as Niermeyer's Lexicon Minus incorporates much of its information.
In 1890 Lewis published a heavily abridged version of Lewis and Short, entitled An Elementary Latin Dictionary for the use of students. Sometimes called the Elementary Lewis, it is still in print today, and remains a useful reference for students.
On occasion people confuse Lewis and Short (or L&S) with Liddell and Scott, its Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
counterpart, entitled A Greek–English Lexicon. The 1945 and later editions of Liddell and Scott are commonly referred to by the abbreviation LSJ after the names of its editors Liddell
Henry Liddell
Henry George Liddell was Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, dean of Christ Church, Oxford, headmaster of Westminster School , author of A History of Rome , and co-author of the monumental work A Greek-English Lexicon, which is still used by students of Greek...
, Scott
Robert Scott (philologist)
Robert Scott was an English academic philologist, clergyman, and a Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford...
and the editor of the 1945 revision, Jones
Henry Stuart Jones
Sir Henry Stuart Jones was a British academic and fellow of Trinity College, University of Oxford, where he held an appointment from 1920 to 1927 as Camden Professor of Ancient History....
.
See also
- Oxford Latin DictionaryOxford Latin DictionaryThe Oxford Latin Dictionary is the standard lexicon of Classical Latin, completed in 1982.The dictionary professes to be "independent alike of Lewis & Short on the one hand and of the Thesaurus Linguae Latinae on the other." It "is based on an entirely fresh reading of the Latin sources...
- Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British SourcesDictionary of Medieval Latin from British SourcesThe Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources is a lexicon of Medieval Latin, published by Oxford University Press for the British Academy, and sometimes referred to as simply the Dictionary of Medieval Latin or the Medieval Latin Dictionary. After decades of preparatory work, the...
- William Whitaker's WordsWilliam Whitaker's WordsWilliam Whitaker's Words is a computer program that parses the inflection or conjugation of a Latin word, and also translates the root into English. Given an English word, the program outputs Latin translations...
External links
- Browse text at Perseus
- Perseus Word Study Tool, including Lewis and Short and the Elementary Latin Dictionary
- Glossa, Lewis and Short for the web and desktop (based on Adobe AIR)
- Lexidium, Lewis and Short for iPhone/iPod touch
- Verba, Lewis and Short for Mac OS X
- Diogenes, ancient text browsing application including Lewis and Short
- The Latin Lexicon – An Online Latin Dictionary, based on the Elementary Latin Dictionary by Charlton T. Lewis
- Catalogue page of print edition at the Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
- Catalogue page of the Elementary Lewis at the Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
- Lewis & Short's Latin–English Dictionary for Windows with color-coded definitions and quotations