From the 1755 edition of Samuel Johnson's Dictionary :

LEXICO'GRAPHER n. f. [λεξιχον and γραφω; lexicographe, French.] A writer of dictionaries; a harmless drudge, that busies himself in tracing the original, and detailing the signification of words.

Commentators and lexicographers acquainted with the Syriac language, have given these hints in their writings on scripture.
--- Watts's Improvement of the Mind.

I'd like to dedicate this node to one of the greatest, especially where originality is concerned, lexicographers of all times. Douglas Adams, along with John Lloyd, compiled "The Meaning of Liff" followed by the completely revised, modernised and generally plumped up "The deeper meaning of Liff.
The books combine the hundreds of situations, emotions and objects for which no words exist with an equal number of potentially useful words that waste their time lurking on signposts around the world. The result goes along the lines of:

    Corriemuchloch (n) : The kind of person who can make a complete mess of a simple job like walking down a corridor.
    Simprim (n) : The little movement of false modesty by which a woman with a cavernous visible cleavage pulls her skirt down over her knees.

Lex`i*cog"ra*pher (?), n. [Gr. ; ; dictionary + to write: cf. F. lexicographe. See Lexicon.]

The author or compiler of a lexicon or dictionary.

Every other author may aspire to praise; the lexicographer can only hope to escape reproach; and even this negative recompense has been yet granted to very few. Johnson.

 

© Webster 1913.

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