A Latin Dictionary (or Harpers' Latin Dictionary, often referred to as Lewis and Short or L&S, occasionally Levis & Brevis) is a popular English-language lexicographical work of the Latin language, published by Harper and Brothers of New York in 1879 and printed simultaneously in the United Kingdom by Oxford University Press.
A Latin Dictionary Founded on Andrews' Edition of Freund's Latin Dictionary
The work 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 Andrews of an earlier Latin-German dictionary, Wörterbuch der Lateinischen Sprache, by the German philologistWilhelm Freund, in turn based on I.J.G. Scheller’s Latin–German dictionary of 1783. The Andrews translation was partially revised by Freund himself, then by Henry Drisler, and was finally edited by Short and Lewis.[1]
The division of labour between the two editors was remarkably unequal. Short, a very thorough but slow worker, produced material for the letters A through C, but B and C were lost by Harpers, meaning that his work now appears only in the letter A (216 pages), while Lewis, who worked in the time he could spare from his law practice, was solely responsible for the entries beginning with the letters B through Z (1803 pages).[2] In 1890 Lewis published a heavily abridged version of the dictionary, entitled An Elementary Latin Dictionary, for the use of students. Sometimes called the Elementary Lewis, it is still in print today.
The adoption of the book by Oxford University Press was the result of the failure of its own project to create a new Latin-English dictionary in 1875. Henry Nettleship and John Mayor had been commissioned to produce a new Latin dictionary based on a fresh reading of the sources, but after Mayor withdrew from the project, Nettleship was unable to complete it on his own; he eventually published his research as notes on Lewis and Short.[3] While the Press had earlier published John Riddle's 1835 translation of Scheller's Latin–German dictionary, this was a much more expensive book. The Press thus adopted Harpers' Latin Dictionary as a stopgap measure, paying Harper and Brothers 10 per cent royalties.[4] Harper and Brothers sold its rights to the American Book Company in 1899, shortly before its bankruptcy.[5]
From the time of its publication, many scholars have criticized the dictionary for its errors and inconsistencies.[6] Because of various circumstances, however, no replacement was attempted until 1933, with the Oxford Latin Dictionary, which was completed in 1983. In 2020, Lewis & Short was reprinted under a new publisher.[7]
The dictionary's full text (year 1879) is available on-line at numerous websites.
Comparison with other dictionaries
Among classicists, Lewis and Short has been largely superseded by the Oxford Latin Dictionary, 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 the increased availability of modern editions, the OLD editors had access to a larger variety of classical works.[8] It was decided in the OLD's planning that the OLD would not encompass Latin written later than AD 200, excepting a small few exceptions. Although classicists still consult Lewis and Short, they tend to prefer the OLD. Lewis and Short retains value for its refined sense of the nuances of English diction as it interfaces with Latin diction (in contrast with OLD's preference for plainer diction) and also for the sensitivity of its quotations from classical texts, reflecting this.
Lewis and Short's primary focus is on classical Latin, not medieval Latin. Nevertheless, Lewis & Short is consulted by medievalists, renaissance specialists, and early modernists, as it includes some Late and Medieval Latin, if somewhat inconsistently, and classical Latin usages are very relevant in medieval Latin. The Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources supplements Lewis & Short for medieval Latin vocabulary. Another dictionary focused on medieval Latin is J. F. Niermeyer's Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, first published in 1976,[9] with an enhanced second edition in year 2002, about 1500 pages. The medieval Latin dictionary Glossarium ad scriptores mediae et infimae latinitatis by Du Cange was originally published in 3 volumes in 1678, it was expanded to 10 volumes during the 18th and 19th centuries, and it is probably still the most frequently used dictionary for medieval Latin vocabulary.
On occasion people confuse Lewis and Short (or L&S) with Liddell and Scott, its Greek counterpart, entitled A Greek–English Lexicon. The 1925 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 1925 revision, Jones.
^See the advertisement of the book itself, available on WikiSource.
^Sypher, Francis Jacques (October 1972). "A History of Harpers' Latin Dictionary". Harvard Library Bulletin. 20 (4): 349–66.
^Stray, Christopher (2011). "Lex Wrecks: A Tale of Two Latin Dictionaries". Dictionaries: Journal of the Dictionary Society of North America. 32: 66–81. ISSN 2160-5076. Retrieved 29 November 2013. Nettleship, Henry (1889). Contributions to Latin lexicography. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
^Stray, Christopher (2012). (PDF). In P.G.W. Glare (ed.). Oxford Latin dictionary (2 ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. xi–xvii. ISBN9780199580316. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
^Louis, W. Roger (2013). History of Oxford University Press: Volume III: 1896 to 1970. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 428. ISBN9780199568406.
Dilke, O.A.W. (October 1959). "Final -e in Lewis and Short". Greece & Rome. 6 (2): 212–213. doi:10.1017/s0017383500013863. ISSN 0017-3835. JSTOR 641434. S2CID 162777913.
Dunbabin, R.L. (December 1934). "Notes on Lewis and Short". The Classical Review. 48 (6): 212–214. doi:10.1017/s0009840x00066154. ISSN 0009-840X. JSTOR 701476. S2CID 246873817.
Dunbabin, R.L. (February 1935). "Notes on Lewis and Short (Continued)". The Classical Review. 49 (1): 9–12. doi:10.1017/s0009840x00066646. ISSN 0009-840X. JSTOR 697220. S2CID 161788928.
Fletcher, G.B.A. (November 1936). "More Notes on Lewis and Short". The Classical Review. 50 (5): 165–166. doi:10.1017/s0009840x00077210. ISSN 0009-840X. JSTOR 705935. S2CID 163561744.
Inge, W.R. (February 1894). "Annotations in Lewis and Short's Lexicon". The Classical Review. 8 (1/2): 25–27. doi:10.1017/s0009840x00187207. ISSN 0009-840X. JSTOR 693788. S2CID 162343579.
Ingram, John K. (1893). "Etymological Notes on Lewis and Short's Latin Dictionary". Hermathena. 8 (19): 326–344. ISSN 0018-0750. JSTOR 23036732.
Kirkland, J.H. (1893). "Some Errors in Harpers' Latin Dictionary". The American Journal of Philology. 14 (3): 362–364. doi:10.2307/288076. ISSN 0002-9475. JSTOR 288076.
Knapp, Charles (1893). "Corrections and Additions to Lewis and Short in Connection with Aulus Gellius". The American Journal of Philology. 14 (2): 216–225. doi:10.2307/288106. ISSN 0002-9475. JSTOR 288106.
Laidlaw, W.A. (November 1946). "Lewis and Short: Some Corrigenda and Addenda". Hermathena (68): 32–45. ISSN 0018-0750. JSTOR 23037562.
Leeper, Alexander (1899). "Notes on Lewis and Short's Latin-English Lexicon". The American Journal of Philology. 20 (2): 169–185. doi:10.2307/287803. ISSN 0002-9475. JSTOR 287803.
Maguinness, W.S. (February 1936). "Notes on Lewis and Short". The Classical Review. 50 (1): 9–10. doi:10.1017/s0009840x00075375. ISSN 0009-840X. JSTOR 705705. S2CID 163920884.
Moore, Frank G. (1894). "Corrections and Additions to Lewis and Short". The American Journal of Philology. 15 (3): 348–355. doi:10.2307/287815. ISSN 0002-9475. JSTOR 287815.
^Lewis, Charlton T. (2020). A Latin Dictionary. Chapel-en-le-Frith: Nigel Gourlay. p. 1192. ISBN9781999855789.
^Mueller, Janel M. (1 November 1985). "Review of Oxford Latin Dictionary by P. G. W. Glare". Modern Philology. 83 (2): 223–25. doi:10.1086/391471. ISSN 0026-8232. JSTOR 437022.
^Brooke, C. N. L. (July 1978). "Review of Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus by J.F. Niermeyer; C. van de Kieft". The English Historical Review. 93 (368): 655–656. doi:10.1093/ehr/XCIII.CCCLXVIII.655. ISSN 0013-8266.
External links
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
A Latin Dictionary
Browse text at Perseus
Perseus Word Study Tool, including Lewis and Short and Lewis's Elementary Latin Dictionary
Logeion, combining Lewis and Short with other Latin and Greek dictionaries, with an offline version for iOS
Translatum LSJ, combining Lewis and Short with other Latin and Greek dictionaries in a hyperlinked wiki environment.
Latin Dictionary, Lewis and Short and Whittaker's Words for iOS
Glossa, Lewis and Short for the web and desktop (based on Adobe AIR)
, ancient text browsing application including Lewis and Short
Lewis & Short's Latin–English Dictionary for Windows with color-coded definitions and quotations
Catalogue page from Oxford University Press
Archli Dictionaries., Free online dictionaries including Lewis & Short, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography e.t.c.
February 14, 2023
latin, dictionary, harpers, latin, dictionary, often, referred, lewis, short, occasionally, levis, brevis, popular, english, language, lexicographical, work, latin, language, published, harper, brothers, york, 1879, printed, simultaneously, united, kingdom, ox. A Latin Dictionary or Harpers Latin Dictionary often referred to as Lewis and Short or L amp S occasionally Levis amp Brevis is a popular English language lexicographical work of the Latin language published by Harper and Brothers of New York in 1879 and printed simultaneously in the United Kingdom by Oxford University Press A Latin Dictionary Founded on Andrews Edition of Freund s Latin DictionaryCover of the 2020 editionAuthorCharlton T LewisCharles ShortOriginal titleHarpers Latin Dictionary A New Latin Dictionary Founded on the Translation of Freund s Latin German Lexicon Edited by E A AndrewsCountryUnited KingdomLanguageEnglishPublished1879Media typePrint paperback Pages1192ISBN978 1 99 985578 9TextA Latin Dictionary Founded on Andrews Edition of Freund s Latin Dictionary at Wikisource Contents 1 History 2 Comparison with other dictionaries 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksHistory EditThe work 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 Andrews of an earlier Latin German dictionary Worterbuch der Lateinischen Sprache by the German philologist Wilhelm Freund in turn based on I J G Scheller s Latin German dictionary of 1783 The Andrews translation was partially revised by Freund himself then by Henry Drisler and was finally edited by Short and Lewis 1 The division of labour between the two editors was remarkably unequal Short a very thorough but slow worker produced material for the letters A through C but B and C were lost by Harpers meaning that his work now appears only in the letter A 216 pages while Lewis who worked in the time he could spare from his law practice was solely responsible for the entries beginning with the letters B through Z 1803 pages 2 In 1890 Lewis published a heavily abridged version of the dictionary entitled An Elementary Latin Dictionary for the use of students Sometimes called the Elementary Lewis it is still in print today The adoption of the book by Oxford University Press was the result of the failure of its own project to create a new Latin English dictionary in 1875 Henry Nettleship and John Mayor had been commissioned to produce a new Latin dictionary based on a fresh reading of the sources but after Mayor withdrew from the project Nettleship was unable to complete it on his own he eventually published his research as notes on Lewis and Short 3 While the Press had earlier published John Riddle s 1835 translation of Scheller s Latin German dictionary this was a much more expensive book The Press thus adopted Harpers Latin Dictionary as a stopgap measure paying Harper and Brothers 10 per cent royalties 4 Harper and Brothers sold its rights to the American Book Company in 1899 shortly before its bankruptcy 5 From the time of its publication many scholars have criticized the dictionary for its errors and inconsistencies 6 Because of various circumstances however no replacement was attempted until 1933 with the Oxford Latin Dictionary which was completed in 1983 In 2020 Lewis amp Short was reprinted under a new publisher 7 The dictionary s full text year 1879 is available on line at numerous websites Comparison with other dictionaries EditAmong classicists Lewis and Short has been largely superseded by the Oxford Latin Dictionary 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 the increased availability of modern editions the OLD editors had access to a larger variety of classical works 8 It was decided in the OLD s planning that the OLD would not encompass Latin written later than AD 200 excepting a small few exceptions Although classicists still consult Lewis and Short they tend to prefer the OLD Lewis and Short retains value for its refined sense of the nuances of English diction as it interfaces with Latin diction in contrast with OLD s preference for plainer diction and also for the sensitivity of its quotations from classical texts reflecting this Lewis and Short s primary focus is on classical Latin not medieval Latin Nevertheless Lewis amp Short is consulted by medievalists renaissance specialists and early modernists as it includes some Late and Medieval Latin if somewhat inconsistently and classical Latin usages are very relevant in medieval Latin The Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources supplements Lewis amp Short for medieval Latin vocabulary Another dictionary focused on medieval Latin is J F Niermeyer s Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus first published in 1976 9 with an enhanced second edition in year 2002 about 1500 pages The medieval Latin dictionary Glossarium ad scriptores mediae et infimae latinitatis by Du Cange was originally published in 3 volumes in 1678 it was expanded to 10 volumes during the 18th and 19th centuries and it is probably still the most frequently used dictionary for medieval Latin vocabulary On occasion people confuse Lewis and Short or L amp S with Liddell and Scott its Greek counterpart entitled A Greek English Lexicon The 1925 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 1925 revision Jones See also EditOxford Latin Dictionary Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources William Whitaker s WordsReferences Edit See the advertisement of the book itself available on WikiSource Sypher Francis Jacques October 1972 A History of Harpers Latin Dictionary Harvard Library Bulletin 20 4 349 66 Stray Christopher 2011 Lex Wrecks A Tale of Two Latin Dictionaries Dictionaries Journal of the Dictionary Society of North America 32 66 81 ISSN 2160 5076 Retrieved 29 November 2013 Nettleship Henry 1889 Contributions to Latin lexicography Oxford Clarendon Press Retrieved 29 October 2013 Stray Christopher 2012 The Oxford Latin Dictionary A Historical Introduction PDF In P G W Glare ed Oxford Latin dictionary 2 ed Oxford Oxford University Press pp xi xvii ISBN 9780199580316 Archived from the original PDF on 27 March 2013 Retrieved 19 October 2013 Louis W Roger 2013 History of Oxford University Press Volume III 1896 to 1970 Oxford Oxford University Press p 428 ISBN 9780199568406 For example Dilke O A W October 1959 Final e in Lewis and Short Greece amp Rome 6 2 212 213 doi 10 1017 s0017383500013863 ISSN 0017 3835 JSTOR 641434 S2CID 162777913 Dunbabin R L December 1934 Notes on Lewis and Short The Classical Review 48 6 212 214 doi 10 1017 s0009840x00066154 ISSN 0009 840X JSTOR 701476 S2CID 246873817 Dunbabin R L February 1935 Notes on Lewis and Short Continued The Classical Review 49 1 9 12 doi 10 1017 s0009840x00066646 ISSN 0009 840X JSTOR 697220 S2CID 161788928 Fletcher G B A November 1936 More Notes on Lewis and Short The Classical Review 50 5 165 166 doi 10 1017 s0009840x00077210 ISSN 0009 840X JSTOR 705935 S2CID 163561744 Inge W R February 1894 Annotations in Lewis and Short s Lexicon The Classical Review 8 1 2 25 27 doi 10 1017 s0009840x00187207 ISSN 0009 840X JSTOR 693788 S2CID 162343579 Ingram John K 1893 Etymological Notes on Lewis and Short s Latin Dictionary Hermathena 8 19 326 344 ISSN 0018 0750 JSTOR 23036732 Kirkland J H 1893 Some Errors in Harpers Latin Dictionary The American Journal of Philology 14 3 362 364 doi 10 2307 288076 ISSN 0002 9475 JSTOR 288076 Knapp Charles 1893 Corrections and Additions to Lewis and Short in Connection with Aulus Gellius The American Journal of Philology 14 2 216 225 doi 10 2307 288106 ISSN 0002 9475 JSTOR 288106 Laidlaw W A November 1946 Lewis and Short Some Corrigenda and Addenda Hermathena 68 32 45 ISSN 0018 0750 JSTOR 23037562 Leeper Alexander 1899 Notes on Lewis and Short s Latin English Lexicon The American Journal of Philology 20 2 169 185 doi 10 2307 287803 ISSN 0002 9475 JSTOR 287803 Maguinness W S February 1936 Notes on Lewis and Short The Classical Review 50 1 9 10 doi 10 1017 s0009840x00075375 ISSN 0009 840X JSTOR 705705 S2CID 163920884 Moore Frank G 1894 Corrections and Additions to Lewis and Short The American Journal of Philology 15 3 348 355 doi 10 2307 287815 ISSN 0002 9475 JSTOR 287815 Lewis Charlton T 2020 A Latin Dictionary Chapel en le Frith Nigel Gourlay p 1192 ISBN 9781999855789 Mueller Janel M 1 November 1985 Review of Oxford Latin Dictionary by P G W Glare Modern Philology 83 2 223 25 doi 10 1086 391471 ISSN 0026 8232 JSTOR 437022 Brooke C N L July 1978 Review of Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus by J F Niermeyer C van de Kieft The English Historical Review 93 368 655 656 doi 10 1093 ehr XCIII CCCLXVIII 655 ISSN 0013 8266 External links Edit Wikisource has original text related to this article A Latin Dictionary Browse text at Perseus Perseus Word Study Tool including Lewis and Short and Lewis s Elementary Latin Dictionary Logeion combining Lewis and Short with other Latin and Greek dictionaries with an offline version for iOS Translatum LSJ combining Lewis and Short with other Latin and Greek dictionaries in a hyperlinked wiki environment Latin Dictionary Lewis and Short and Whittaker s Words for iOS Glossa Lewis and Short for the web and desktop based on Adobe AIR Verba Lewis and Short for Mac OS X Diogenes ancient text browsing application including Lewis and Short Lewis amp Short s Latin English Dictionary for Windows with color coded definitions and quotations Catalogue page from Oxford University Press Archli Dictionaries Free online dictionaries including Lewis amp Short Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography e t c Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title A Latin Dictionary amp oldid 1139159944, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
