The ''Agron'' () was
Saadia Gaon's first work, completed in 913CE, when he was 20 years old.
The book is also known by its
Judeo-Arabic name 'אצול אלשער אלעבראני' (''The Rudiments of Hebrew Poetry''). The ''Agron'' compiled by Saadia Gaon is not a
Hebrew language
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
dictionary in the sense that it does not define the different meanings of words or radicals. Instead, it is a lexicographical reference book for ''
payṭanim'' which includes in its first section words arranged alphabetically by first letter, for use in making acrostics at the beginning of the poetic line; in the second section are words arranged alphabetically by last letter (syllable), for use in making rhymes at the end of the poetic line. The work consists of two parts, and was intended to be used in versification, in which acrostics and rhyme were the chief requisites. In a later edition, Saadia added the
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...
translation of each word, and also included passages concerning various "memorable subjects of the poets," and named the work in its new form "''Kitab al-Shi'r''." The Arabic introduction to the second edition and the Hebrew preface of the first have been in great part preserved. Saadia's ''Agron'' is considered a dictionary because in his preface he described himself and his work as the "collector" and collection of the Hebrew language.
The word ''Agron'', as , entered Hebrew to refer to thesaurus texts which also define words for practical use. A 2006 lookup database which distributed personal details of millions of Israelis stolen from government records was also called .
See also
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Moses Shirvani
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Rhyming dictionary
A rhyming dictionary is a specialized dictionary designed for use in writing poetry and lyrics. In a rhyming dictionary, words are categorized into equivalence classes that consist of words that rhyme with one another. They also typically suppor ...
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Thesaurus
A thesaurus (plural ''thesauri'' or ''thesauruses'') or synonym dictionary is a reference work for finding synonyms and sometimes antonyms of words. They are often used by writers to help find the best word to express an idea:
Synonym diction ...
References
Jewish medieval literature
Hebrew dictionaries
Hebrew words and phrases
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