The ''Cambridge Greek Lexicon'' is a dictionary of the

Ancient Greek language Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

published by

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...

in April 2021. First conceived in 1997 by the

classicist Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

John Chadwick John Chadwick, (21 May 1920 – 24 November 1998) was an English linguist and classical scholar who was most notable for the decipherment, with Michael Ventris, of Linear B. Early life, education and wartime service John Chadwick was born at ...

, the lexicon was compiled by a team of researchers based in the Faculty of Classics in Cambridge consisting of the

Hellenist Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek and Roman literature and their original languages, ...

James Diggle James Diggle, (born 1944) is a British classical scholar. He was Professor of Greek and Latin at the University of Cambridge between 1995 and 2011. Early life and education Born in 1944, Diggle was educated at St John’s College, Cambridge; he ...

(Editor-in-Chief), Bruce Fraser, Patrick James, Oliver Simkin, Anne Thompson, and Simon Westripp. Abandoning the predominant historico-linguistic method, it begins each entry with the word's root meaning and proceeds to list further common usages. The dictionary is also notable for avoiding

euphemism A euphemism ( ) is when an expression that could offend or imply something unpleasant is replaced with one that is agreeable or inoffensive. Some euphemisms are intended to amuse, while others use bland, inoffensive terms for concepts that the u ...

Development

During the 20th century, the leading dictionary of

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

in the English-speaking world was ''

A Greek–English Lexicon ''A Greek–English Lexicon'', often referred to as ''Liddell & Scott'' () or ''Liddell–Scott–Jones'' (''LSJ''), is a standard lexicographical work of the Ancient Greek language originally edited by Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, H ...

'', commonly known as ''LSJ'' after the initials of its authors (

Henry Liddell Henry George Liddell (; 6 February 1811– 18 January 1898) was Dean (college), dean (1855–1891) of Christ Church, Oxford, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University (1870–1874), headmaster (1846–1855) of Westminster School (where a house is n ...

, Robert Scott, and

Henry Stuart Jones Sir Henry Stuart Jones, FBA (15 May 1867 – 29 June 1939) was a British academic. He was educated at Balliol College, Oxford; he obtained a First in Classical Moderations in 1888 and a First in Literae Humaniores ('Greats', a combination of ph ...

). Published in 1843 by

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, the ''LSJ'' was a dictionary of broad scope and aimed to provide a historico-linguistic account of the Greek language. Its entries contained many untranslated Greek quotations to illustrate individual usages of words while English approximations were used sparingly. In 1997, the classical scholar

conceived of a plan to update the ''LSJ'', which had become antiquated but was still widely used. Although he had originally planned to improve the existing dictionary, Chadwick and the project's advisory committee soon realised the ''LSJ'' was too antiquated in its design and that they would have to start afresh. A team led by the Cambridge

began to read most Greek literature from the

Homeric epics Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his authorship, Homer is ...

until the second century AD. The project was intended to take up to five years but was concluded after twenty-three years. The resulting dictionary was published as the ''Cambridge Greek Lexicon'' on 22 April 2021 by

Methodology and scope

The ''Cambridge Greek Lexicon'' begins each entry with the word's root meaning, differentiating itself from the preference for the earliest occurrence of a word found in ''LSJ''. It then proceeds to list further common usages. The dictionary does not exhibit its predecessor's tendency to

: whereas the ''LSJ'' translated the verb () as 'ease oneself', the ''Cambridge Greek Lexicon'' gives 'to defecate' as the primary meaning. The first edition of the dictionary published in April 2021 comprised two volumes, featuring 37,000 Greek words on around 1,500 pages. It draws on the works of 90 authors.

Reception

Writing for the educational charity

Classics for All Classics For All is a UK-based charity that aims to raise funds to support the study of Latin, Ancient History, Classical Civilization and Ancient Greek in state schools. Charitable objectives The objectives of the charity are 'to advance educat ...

, reviewer Colin Leach wrote that the ''Cambridge Greek Lexicon'' was unlikely to replace the ''LSJ'' and added that the dictionary was nonetheless "an essential purchase for all institutions of learning where ancient Greek is taught". In a review for ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...

'', the classicist Peter Jones described the lexicon as "a triumphant intellectual and educational achievement", praising its "clarity and precision".

References

{{Authority control 2021 non-fiction books Ancient Greek dictionaries Cambridge University Press books

Development

Methodology and scope

Reception

See also

References