A

DICTIONARY

OF THE

ENGLISH LANGUAGE:

IN WHICH

The WORDS are deduced from their ORIGINALS, Explained in their DIFFERENT MEANINGS,

AND

Authorized by the NAMES of the WRITERS in whofe Works they are found.

Abtracted from the FOLIO EDITION,
By the AUTHOR

SAMUEL JOHNSON, A. M.

To which is prefixed,

AGRAMMAR of the ENGLISH LANGUAGE.

In TWO VOLUMES.

VOL. I.

The FIFTH EDITION, corrected.

LONDON,

Printed for W. STRAHAN; J. and F. RIVINGTON; J. HINTON; T. DAVIES; HAWES, CLARKE, and COLLINS; R. HORSEFIELD; W.JOHNSTON; W. OWEN; T. LOWNDES; T. CASLON; S. CROWDER; T. LONGMAN; B. LAW; BECKETT, and De HONDT; E. and C. DILLY; J. DODSLEY; W. NICOLL; W. GRIFFIN; G. ROBINSON; T. CADELL; J. KNOX; ALMON; W. GOLDSMITH; J. and J. RIDLEY.

MDCCLXXIII.

THE

PREFACE.

HAVING

JAVING been long employed in the ftudy and cultivation of the English language, I lately publifhed a dictionary like thofe compiled by the academies of Italy and France, for the use of such as aspire to exactness of criticism, or elegance of ftyle.

But it has been fince confidered that works of that kind are by no means neceffary to the greater number of readers, who, feldom intending to write or prefuming to judge, turn over books only to amufe their leifure, and to gain degrees of knowledge fuitable to lower characters, or neceffary to the common bufinefs of life: thefe know not any other ufe of a dictionary than that of adjusting orthography, and explaining terms of fcience or words of infrequent occurrence, or remote derivation.

For thefe purposes many dictionaries have been written by different, authors, and with different degrees of fkill; but none of them have yet fallen into my hands by which even the loweft expectations could be fatisfied. Some of their authors wanted induftry, and others literature: fome knew not their own defects, and others were too idle to fupply them.

For this reafon a fmall dictionary appeared yet to be wanting to common readers; and, as I may without arrogance claim to myself a longer acquaintance with the lexicography of our language than any other writer has had, I fhall hope to be confidered as having more experience at least than most of my predeceffors, and as more likely to accommodate the nation with a vocabulary of daily ufe. I therefore offer to the public an abstract or epitome of my former work.