Historical development of English Lexicography

By polinam05
  • Period: 601 to 800

    Early glosses

    Latin word lists with Old English equivalents appear. The Leiden and Erfurt Glosses may be the earliest written English.
  • 1400

    Formation of glossaries

    Medulla Grammatica compiled in East Anglia; considered the first Latin–English glossary.
  • 1565

    Classical thesaurus

    Thomas Cooper publishes Thesaurus Linguae Romanae et Britannicae, an important Renaissance reference.
  • Florio’s Italian–English dictionary

    Florio’s Italian–English dictionary

    John Florio publishes his Italian–English Dictionary, one of the most famous bilingual works of the period.

  • First English dictionary

    Henry Cockeram’s The English Dictionary, or An Interpreter of Hard Words—first use of the word dictionary in the title.
  • Period: to

    Shift to literary dictionaries

    Hard-word” dictionaries begin to be replaced by more general works addressing literary usage
  • Bailey's dictionary

    Bailey's dictionary

    Nathaniel Bailey publishes Universal Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. First to emphasize usage, etymology, syllabification, quotations, and pronunciation

  • Expanded edition of Bailey

    The folio edition of Bailey's dictionary later serves as the basis for Samuel Johnson's work
  • Johnson's dictionary

    Johnson's dictionary

    Samuel Johnson publishes A Dictionary of the English Language. Standardises spelling, uses literary quotations, and dominates English lexicography until 1900

  • Sheridan’s pronouncing dictionary

    Thomas Sheridan issues General Dictionary of the English Language, focusing on correct pronunciation
  • Walker’s pronouncing dictionary

    Walker’s pronouncing dictionary

    John Walker publishes Critical Pronouncing Dictionary, highly influential in setting pronunciation standards

  • Early Webster

    Noah Webster publishes A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language. Includes Americanisms but is not widely successful

  • Webster’s major dictionary

    Noah Webster publishes An American Dictionary of the English Language (2 vols.). Promotes American spelling and definitions reflecting U.S. culture.

  • Worcester’s dictionary

    Joseph Worcester publishes Comprehensive Pronouncing and Explanatory Dictionary. Compact, affordable, and clear, it becomes popular

  • Richardson’s historical dictionary

    Charles Richardson’s New Dictionary of the English Language traces meanings with dated quotations, lacking standard definitions

  • OED project begins

    Planning starts for the New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (later OED)

  • OED first volume

    The first volume of the OED is published under James Murray

  • The Century Dictionary

    William Dwight Whitney edits and publishes the Century Dictionary in six volumes

  • End of Johnson’s dominance

    Johnson’s dictionary, widely used for nearly 150 years, finally falls out of common use

  • OED completed

    The OED project is finished under William Craigie
  • Wyld’s Universal Dictionary

    Wyld’s Universal Dictionary

    Henry Cecil Wyld publishes Universal Dictionary of English Language, introducing functional definitions and modern etymology

  • OED supplement

    A supplement to the OED is issued, expanding its coverage

  • Dictionary of American English on Historical Principles

    A historical dictionary of American English is completed, extending the OED model to U.S. vocabulary
  • Dictionary of Americanisms

    Dictionary of Americanisms

    Mitford M. Mathews publishes Dictionary of Americanisms
  • Period: to

    Webster’s Third New International Dictionary

    Published in 1961, heavily attacked in 1962 for its descriptive approach. Despite controversy, it marks a turning point in modern lexicography