Promptorium parvulorum
The Promptorium parvulorum (Latin: "Storehouse for children") is an English-Latin bilingual dictionary that was completed about 1440 AD. It was the first English-to-Latin dictionary.[1] It occupies about 300 printed book pages.[2] Its authorship is attributed to Geoffrey the Grammarian, a friar who lived in Lynn, Norfolk, England.[3]
| Author | Attributed to Geoffrey the Grammarian |
|---|---|
| Country | England |
| Language | Latin, Middle English |
| Subject | Bilingual dictionary |
After the invention of the printing press, the Promptorium was published repeatedly in the early 16th century by printer Wynkyn de Worde.[3] In the 19th century, the Camden Society republished it under the extended title Promptorium parvulorum sive clericorum (“Storehouse for children or clerics”).[1] For language historians it is a major reference work for the vocabulary of late medieval English. It is a frequently cited reference in today's primary dictionary of late medieval English, the Middle English Dictionary, published by the University of Michigan.
See also
- Catholicon Anglicum, an English-to-Latin dictionary dated 1485
References
- Mayhew, A. L., ed. (January 1999). The Promptorium Parvulorum: The First English-Latin Dictionary. Early English Text Society. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Company. ISBN 9780543951038. OCLC 2642049. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
- The Promptorium Parvulorum as published in 1865, downloadable at Archive.org.
- Entry for "Geoffrey the Grammarian" in Dictionary of National Biography (edition published 1885-1900), volume 21.