The First English Dictionary

In terms of history, the first dictionary in English was relatively late in arriving. It was compiled by Samuel Johnson and published in 1755. Mr. Johnson was a leading figure in London intellectual society.

Johnson compiled his dictionary with the help of only 6 others. Not many when you consider today's modern dictionary publishers. Before its publication people had nothing but their memory to know the meaning of a word.

His dictionary was the definitive one for the next 150 years until the arrival of the Oxford English Dictionary.

Mr. Johnson was known to be strongly opinionated as well as sarcastic. He did not suffer fools gladly. His dictionary is very different from our modern dictionaries. He did not try to be objective in his definitions. One of the most famous was his definition of a "patron."

He defined a patron as "One who countenances, supports or protects. Commonly a wretch who supports with insolence, and is paid with flattery." That was based on his personal experience with his own patron who backed out of financial support for Johnson's work on the dictionary.

His larger than life character is famously detailed in "The Life of Samuel Johnson, LLD." The author was James Boswell.

I'll sprinkle other humorous definitions from Johnson in future posts.