Arabic Lexicography

Linguistic treatises were the earliest forms of lexicographic works in the Arab World. These were books that explained the vocabulary of specific subjects such as animals, plants, etc. Arabic dictionaries were compiled in response to practical needs. First, the need to protect the language of the revelation from the influence of the languages of the nations that became part of the Islamic state. Second, the need to provide a learning and reference tool about the Arabic language for new Muslims.

8th Century

al-Khalil ibn Ahmad: the first to compile a general Arabic dictionary, Kitab al'Ain. It listed words according to their sounds, starting with the gutteral and ending with labial ones. The arrangement of entries did not follow the alphabetical order. The variant permutations of the consonants of a root were given.

10th Century

Abu Bakr al-Zubaidi: He compiled Mukhtasar al'Ain , an abridgement of Kitab al'Ain.
al-Khuwarizmi: This Persian scholar and statesman compiled Mafatih al'Ulum . The dictionary contained technical words of astronomy, geometry, medicine, philosophy, history, law, poetry, etc.
Ibn Faris: He compiled al-Mujmal fi l-lughah , a small dictionary of familiar words and phrases with their origins.

11th Century

Ali ibn Sidah: He compiled al-Muhkam wa l-Muhit, a large dictionary that followed the system of Kitab al'Ain. He also compiled al-Mukhassas which was a comprehensive dictionary arranged according to topics.

12th Century

Mubarak ibn al-Athir compiled al-Nihayah fi Gharib al-Hadith, a dictionary of Prophetic tradition.
Ahmad al-Jawaliqi compiled a dictionary of foreign words, Kitab al-Mu'arrab min al-Kalam.

13th Century

Ibn Manzur compiled Lisan al-'Arab (80,000 entries). It is a comprehensive dictionary which included material from all preceding dictionaries. It is considered to be the best and most exhaustive dictionary of classical Arabic.

14th Century

al-Fairuzabadi wrote al-Qamus al-Muhit which was based on Lisan al-'Arab.

18th Century

Murtada al-Zabidi compiled Taj al-'Arus. It was intended to be an enlargement of al-Qamus al-Muhit by al-Fairuzabadi.

20th Century

The Arabic Language Academy in Cairo produced al-Mu'jam al-Wasit in 1960. It includes borrowed and Arabized words and follows the root system, but problematic derivatives are listed alphabetically with cross-references to their roots.

Reference: Al-Badry, N. (1986),'The History of Arabic Lexicography', Exeter Linguistic Studies, EUP, pp.36-43.

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