''Etymologicum Magnum'' ( grc, Ἐτυμολογικὸν Μέγα, ) (standard abbreviation ''EM'', or ''Etym. M.'' in older literature) is the traditional title of a Greek lexical encyclopedia compiled at

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

by an unknown

lexicographer Lexicography is the study of lexicons, and is divided into two separate academic disciplines. It is the art of compiling dictionaries. * Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionaries. * Theoretica ...

around 1150 AD. It is the largest Byzantine lexicon and draws on many earlier grammatical, lexical and rhetorical works. Its main sources were two previous ''etymologica'', the so-called '' Etymologicum Genuinum'' and the '' Etymologicum Gudianum''. Other sources include Stephanus of Byzantium, the ''Epitome'' of Diogenianus, the so-called ''Lexicon'' Αἱμωδεῖν (''Haimōdeῖn''), Eulogius’ Ἀπορίαι καὶ λύσεις (''Ἀporίai kaὶ lύseis''), George Choeroboscus’ ''Epimerismi ad Psalmos'', the ''Etymologicon'' of

Orion of Thebes Orion of Thebes (Greek: Ώρίων ό Θηβαίος, died c. 460s) was a 5th-century grammarian of Thebes (Egypt), the teacher of Proclus the neo-Platonist, and of Eudocia, the wife of Emperor Theodosius II. He taught at Alexandria, Caesarea in Cap ...

, and collections of ''scholia''. The compiler of the ''Etymologicum Magnum'' was not a mere copyist; rather he amalgamated, reorganised, augmented and freely modified his source material to create a new and individual work. The '' editio princeps'' of the ''Etymologicum Magnum'' was published by Zacharias Kallierges and Nikolaos Vlastos under the patronage of Anna Notaras at

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

in 1499. The typeface was designed and cut by Kallierges, modeled on his own handwriting. The decorative initial letters and headpieces are patterned on the decorations of the Byzantine manuscript tradition, and the woodcut borders incorporate elaborate arabesque designs, usually colored white on red, but also white on gold. The decorations of the Kallierges edition had a great influence in printing, especially on Greek liturgical books. The most recent complete edition is by Thomas Gaisford (Oxford 1848). A new (uncompleted) edition is in preparation by F. Lasserre and N. Livadaras (under the title ''Etymologicum Magnum Auctum'').F. Lasserre and N. Livadaras (eds.), ''Etymologicum Magnum Genuinum, Symeonis Etymologicum una cum Magna Grammatica, Etymologicum Magnum Auctum'', vol. 1 (Rome 1976); 2 (Athens 1992)

References

Bibliography

*K. Alpers (1990), ‘Griechische Lexicographie in Antike und Mittelalter. Dargestellt an ausgewählten Beispielen’ in H.-A. Koch and A. Krup-Eber (eds.), ''Welt der Information. Wissen und Wissensvermittlung in Geschichte und Gegenwart'' (Stuttgart) 14-38. *K. Alpers (2001), ‘Lexicographie (B.I-III)’ in G. Üding and W. Jens (eds.), ''Historisches Wörterbuch der Rhetorik'' 2 (Tübingen) 194-210. *P. Rance, (2007), ‘The ''Etymologicum Magnum'' and the “Fragment of Urbicius”’, ''Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies'' 47:193-224
online
*R. Reitzenstein (1897), ''Geschichte der griechischen Etymologika: ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der Philologie in Alexandria und Byzanz'' (Leipzig; repr. Amsterdam 1964). *F. W. Sturz (1820), ''Orionis Thebani Etymologicon'' (Leipzig).

External links

*
Etymologicon magnum seu magnum grammaticae penu
', Friderici Sylburgii (ed.), editio nova correctior, Lipsiae apud Io. Aug. Gottl. Weigel, 1816.

Thomas Gaisford (ed.), Oxonii, E. Typographeo academico, 1848. 1150s books Ancient Greek dictionaries Byzantine Greek encyclopedias Etymological dictionaries Works about philology {{Philology-stub