Best Latin Lexicon

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Matthaeus89
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Best Latin Lexicon

Post by Matthaeus89 »

In everyone’s opinion, what are the best Latin lexicons? I’m looking for one in helping prepare for an entrance exam. My exam will be focused on Vulgate or an Early Church Father translation. Thanks!

whsiv
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Re: Best Latin Lexicon

Post by whsiv »

Hello there,

There are two big dictionaries - I mean physically large (and comprehensive). One is the Oxford Latin Dictionary (OLD), which would not serve your purpose because of the limited time span it draws its words from. The second is the Lewis and Short (L&S), which would serve your purpose. The L&S goes later into Latin literature - up to ~ AD 600, I think. Fortunately for you, it's cheaper as well. It's also the one that has been digitized by sites such as glossa and logeion.

If you can't use a phone/tablet/computer (I imagine you couldn't), and don't want to lug around one of those big boys, I have always been happy with Cassell's. I have the hardback with the funky brown color.

There is also a Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, which might be good for your test. I don't have personal experience with it.

Some links:
L&S (https://www.amazon.com/Latin-Dictionary ... +and+short)
Cassell's (https://www.amazon.com/Cassells-Standar ... %27s+latin)
Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin (https://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Eccle ... stic+latin)

Now that I think about it, there is a smaller version of the L&S billed as the Elementary Latin Dictionary (just by Lewis). I don't know what they've taken out to make it smaller. My guess is that it would cover a similar number of entries as something like Cassell's, but go more in depth with each word - it doesn't sacrifice any space to an English-Latin dictionary.

Good luck on your test!

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Barry Hofstetter
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Re: Best Latin Lexicon

Post by Barry Hofstetter »

whsiv wrote:Hello there,

Now that I think about it, there is a smaller version of the L&S billed as the Elementary Latin Dictionary (just by Lewis). I don't know what they've taken out to make it smaller. My guess is that it would cover a similar number of entries as something like Cassell's, but go more in depth with each word - it doesn't sacrifice any space to an English-Latin dictionary.
I have never checked to see if Elementary Lewis cuts down on the actual number of entries, although I suspect that perhaps some rare Latin words might have been cut. What I know for sure is that he simply shortened up many of the entries, so instead of quoting lots of Latin authors per entry, he cites only a few or none at all.

Otherwise, L&S is still the best general work for working with late antiquity and early medieval Christian authors, although if one is going to work with later medieval authors supplementary materials are needed. Later medieval authors can get a bit, shall we say, creative with the language...
N.E. Barry Hofstetter

Cuncta mortalia incerta...

Ronolio
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Re: Best Latin Lexicon

Post by Ronolio »

The Elementary Latin Dictionary has taken out more detailed citations, using just author instead of author, work and line references and removed more obscure definitions. In fact according to the introduction the vocabulary was actually expanded.

Nesrad
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Re: Best Latin Lexicon

Post by Nesrad »

Expanded not relative to L&S but to Lewis's other dictionary, A Latin Dictionary for Schools.

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