Etymological Dictionaries

I wrote this article because for some time I had been wanting a list of early etymological dictionaries and there was not a single one that I was aware of.

I started this with a Google Ngram Viewer search for “etymological”. The settings were 1500-2019, English (2019), case-insensitive.^[1] I search for books in the results. I have reviewed everything up through 1863 and have not touched 1864 onwards.

The List

Bailey, Nathan. An Universal Etymological English Dictionary (London, 1721)

Whiter, Walter. Etymologicon Magnum, Or Universal Etymological Dictionary, on a New Plan (1800)

William Perry & Samuel Johnson. The Synonymous, Etymological, and Pronouncing English Dictionary (1805)

Jamieson, John. An Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language (1808)

Grimshaw, William. An Etymological Dictionary (1821)

Harrison, J. The Etymological Enchiridion, Or Practical Analyzer (1825)

Browne, Daniel Jay. The Etymological Encyclopaedia of Technical Words and Phrases (1832)

Butter, Henry. The Etymological Spelling Book and Expositor (1832)

Gibson, T. A. Etymological Geography (1835)

Oswald, John. An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language (1840)

Smeaton, William. An Etymological Manual of the English Language (1843)

Craig, John. A New Universal Etymological, Technological and Pronouncing Dictionary of the English Language (1849)

Arthur, William. An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names (1857)

Skeat, Walter William. An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language (4 parts, 1879–1882; rev., and enlarged, 1910)

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References:

[1] – https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=etymological&year_start=1500&year_end=2019&corpus=26&smoothing=0&case_insensitive=true&direct_url=t4%3B%2Cetymological%3B%2Cc0%3B%2Cs0%3B%3Betymological%3B%2Cc0%3B%3BEtymological%3B%2Cc0%3B%3BETYMOLOGICAL%3B%2Cc0#t4%3B%2Cetymological%3B%2Cc0%3B%2Cs0%3B%3Betymological%3B%2Cc0%3B%3BEtymological%3B%2Cc0%3B%3BETYMOLOGICAL%3B%2Cc0. Accessed 16 Jan. 2021.

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