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

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compiled at

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

by an unknown

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 ...

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 Stephanus or Stephen of Byzantium (; , ''Stéphanos Byzántios''; centuryAD) was a Byzantine grammarian and the author of an important geographical dictionary entitled ''Ethnica'' (). Only meagre fragments of the dictionary survive, but the epit ...

, the ''Epitome'' of

Diogenianus Diogenianus () was a Greek grammarian from Heraclea in Pontus (or in Caria) who flourished during the reign of Hadrian (117–138). He was the author of an alphabetical lexicon, chiefly of poetical words, abridged from the great lexicon () of P ...

, 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 Aelia Eudocia, the wife of Emperor Theodosius II. He taught at Alexandria, Caesa ...

, 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 In Textual scholarship, textual and classical scholarship, the ''editio princeps'' (plural: ''editiones principes'') of a work is the first printed edition of the work, that previously had existed only in manuscripts. These had to be copied by han ...

'' of the ''Etymologicum Magnum'' was published by Zacharias Kallierges and Nikolaos Vlastos under the patronage of

Anna Notaras Anna Notaras Palaiologina ( Παλαιολογίνα; died 8 July 1507) was a prominent Byzantine leader-in-exile in decades following the fall of Constantinople in 1453, serving as a center of the Greek community in Venice in the late 15th and ea ...

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

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 Thomas Gaisford (22 December 1779 – 2 June 1855) was an English classical scholar and clergyman. He served as Dean of Christ Church from 1831 until his death. Early life Gaisford was born at Iford Manor, Wiltshire, the son of John Gaisford ...

(Oxford 1848), with the slightly different title of ''Etymologicon Magnum''. 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

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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. 1150s books Ancient Greek dictionaries Byzantine Greek encyclopedias Etymological dictionaries Works about philology