Abigail Lindo (3 August 1803 – 28 August 1848) was a British

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

. She was the first British

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

to compile a Hebrew-English dictionary and is considered to be the only woman to have made a significant contribution to

philology Philology () is the study of language in Oral tradition, oral and writing, written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also de ...

in the nineteenth century.

Life

Lindo was born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1803, the third daughter of Sarah (née

Mocatta Mocatta (also ''de Mattos Mocatta'', ''Lumbroso de Mattos Mocatta'' and ''Lumbrozo de Mattos Mocatta'') is a surname. The Mocatta family is a Anglo-Jewish family that traces its ancestry to the Sephardic Jewish communities of Spain and Portugal ...

) and

David Abarbanel Lindo David Lindo (1772–1852) was an English Sephardi communal worker and elder of Bevis Marks Synagogue. He was born in London on 14 August 1772 to Elias Lindo (1740–1785), a Royal Exchange, London, Royal Exchange broker, and Grace Lumbroso de ...

, Sephardi Jews who were members of leading families. She had seventeen siblings; her sister Jemima was the mother of the

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

and Jewish community leader

David Lindo Alexander David Lindo Alexander (5 October 1842 in the City of London – 1922) was an English barrister and Jewish community leader.Sharman Kadish‘Alexander, David Lindo (1842–1922)’ ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Pre ...

. One of Abigail's cousins was Sir

Moses Montefiore Sir Moses Haim Montefiore, 1st Baronet, (24 October 1784 – 28 July 1885) was a British financier and banker, activist, Philanthropy, philanthropist and Sheriffs of the City of London, Sheriff of London. Born to an History ...

. The Lindo family were related to

Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman, Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician and writer who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a ...

and it was her father who performed Disraeli's

circumcision Circumcision is a procedure that removes the foreskin from the human penis. In the most common form of the operation, the foreskin is extended with forceps, then a circumcision device may be placed, after which the foreskin is excised. T ...

. Her mother's brother, Moses Mocatta (1768–1857), who was a bullion broker and a scholar of Hebrew language and literature, saw to her education. Under his guidance, she became a respected scholar of the Bible with a wide knowledge of Hebrew. She came to prominence after she created an English-Hebrew vocabulary for her own use. Encouraged by her uncle, she published her work in 1837, and recommended it to be used in the different Jewish schools in Britain. She was the first British Jew to compile and publish a Hebrew-English dictionary. Her 1837 vocabulary was extended in 1842Miriam Rodrigues-Pereira
"Lindo, Abigail (1803–1848)"
''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...

'',

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, 2004; online edition, 17 September 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2024. and by 1846 she had created a complete ''A Hebrew-English and English-Hebrew Dictionary''. Leading lexicographers used her book as well as students of Hebrew. Her work is now regarded as amateur as she had no knowledge of related languages such as Arabic or Aramaic, but she is considered the only woman to have made a significant contribution to philology in the nineteenth century. All of her books identify the author as the third daughter of her father and it is his picture which is included in her books.

Death and burial

Lindo died in London on 28 August 1848 and was buried on 30 August at the Novo Cemetery in Mile End, London. Her remains, along with those of about 7500 other Jews buried there, were removed in 1974 and re-interred at Brentwood Jewish Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lindo, Abigail 1803 births 1848 deaths 19th-century British Sephardi Jews 19th-century English non-fiction writers 19th-century English women writers 19th-century British lexicographers 19th-century philologists English lexicographers English philologists English Sephardi Jews Jewish English writers Jewish lexicographers Jewish women writers Women lexicographers Women philologists

Life

Death and burial

See also

References