Samuel Johnsons Dictionary of the English Language is one of the most famous dictionaries in history. First published in 1755, the dictionary took just over eight years to compile, required six helpers and listed 40,000 words. Each word was defined in detail, the definitions illustrated with quotations covering every branch of learning. It was a huge scholarly achievement, a more extensive and complex dictionary than any of its predecessors – the comparable French Dictionnaire had taken 55 years to compile and required the dedication of 40 scholars.
A short while ago I heard a new word, and I wanted to consult Samuel Johnsons dictionary. I enjoyed Boswells excellent biography "The Life of Samuel Johnson", and through it began to appreciate Johnsons literary, erudite and often humorously anachronistic definitions.
But alas, as I went to the app store with word in hand, I could not find his dictionary. So, here it is!
The word data is sourced from johnsonsdictionaryonline.org, ran by the University of Central Florida’s Center for Humanities & Digital Research. Thank you to the UCF for their hard work in curating, annotating, and cleaning up the tome for online consumption!