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 ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic per ...

published by

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambr ...

in April 2021. First conceived in 1997 by the

classicist Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

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

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

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 an innocuous word or expression used in place of one that is deemed offensive or suggests something unpleasant. Some euphemisms are intended to amuse, while others use bland, inoffensive terms for concepts that the user wishes ...

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 ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

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, He ...

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

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

, 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 p ...

). Published in 1843 by

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print book ...

, 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 John Chadwick 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 (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a 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. Homer is considered one of the ...

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, 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 magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''Th ...

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

References

{{Authority control Ancient Greek dictionaries Cambridge University Press books

Development

Methodology and scope

Reception

See also

References