Century Dictionary

Century Dictionary. First published in six volumes between 1889 and 1891 by The Century Company, it was conceived as an American rival to the great British dictionaries of the Victorian era. Under the editorship of renowned linguist William Dwight Whitney of Yale University, it aimed to comprehensively document the English language with unprecedented scholarly rigor and encyclopedic breadth. Its publication represented a major achievement in American lexicography, setting a new standard for detail and authority that influenced reference works for decades.

History and publication

The project originated in the 1880s when The Century Company, publisher of the popular Century Magazine, sought to create a definitive American dictionary. The firm enlisted William Dwight Whitney, a preeminent Sanskrit scholar and professor of comparative philology at Yale University, to serve as editor-in-chief. Whitney assembled a large team of specialist contributors, including many academics from institutions like Harvard University and Columbia University, as well as experts in fields such as botany, law, and music. The dictionary was published in New York City in a series of parts, or "fascicles," beginning in 1889, with the complete six-volume first edition released in 1891. A key supplement, the two-volume Cyclopedia of Names, was added in 1894, bringing the total to eight volumes and further enhancing its encyclopedic character.

Content and scope

The work contained over 500,000 entries, far surpassing contemporary dictionaries like Webster's International Dictionary (1890). It was celebrated for its vast inclusion of technical and scientific terminology from disciplines such as chemistry, astronomy, and medicine, reflecting the rapid advancements of the Gilded Age. Each entry featured detailed etymologies tracing word origins to languages like Latin, Greek, and Old English, alongside extensive quotations illustrating usage from sources ranging from Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare to contemporary authors like Thomas Hardy and Henry James. The dictionary also included numerous illustrations, maps, and plates, particularly for entries related to architecture, heraldry, and zoology.

Editorial approach and methodology

Whitney applied principles of historical linguistics and philology, treating the dictionary as a scientific record of the language's development. Definitions were organized historically, showing the evolution of meaning over time, a methodology influenced by the Oxford English Dictionary project underway in England. The editorial team meticulously verified quotations and citations, building a massive citation file akin to that of the OED. This empirical approach extended to the treatment of American English, which was documented with the same scholarly attention as British English, including regionalisms from areas like New England and the American South. The work also provided detailed guidance on pronunciation using a system developed by Whitney.

Editions and reprints

Following the first edition, a revised and expanded ten-volume "Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia" was issued between 1901 and 1911 under the supervision of Benjamin Eli Smith. This edition incorporated new words and updated scientific information. In 1914, a condensed two-volume "New Century Dictionary" was published for general use. The original set was reprinted in various formats throughout the early 20th century by publishers including G. P. Putnam's Sons. Despite the rise of newer dictionaries like Webster's New International Dictionary, the Century remained in print for many years, with a final photolithographic reissue occurring in the 1970s.

Influence and legacy

The dictionary had a profound impact on American scholarship and publishing, serving as an essential reference for writers, editors, and academics for generations. Its encyclopedic model influenced later works, including the World Book Encyclopedia and certain aspects of the Encyclopædia Britannica. Linguists and historians, such as those contributing to the Dictionary of American Regional English, have continued to value its exhaustive record of 19th-century usage and terminology. While eventually superseded by more modern compilations, the Century Dictionary is remembered as a monumental feat of Victorian scholarship and a cornerstone in the history of American reference publishing.

Category:English-language dictionaries Category:1889 books Category:American encyclopedias Category:Books published by The Century Company