Lexical Aids and Lexicography for Ancient Greek and Linguitics

Here you will find lexical aids for the study of ancient Greek and linguistics as well as a few studies in Greek Lexicography. Several lexical tools (dictionaries and lexica) are available online at no charge.

Farther down the page you will see information on print versions available for purchase. At the end of the page you will find information on current studies of Greek Lexicography.

• Online Lexica
• Lexica in Print Format
• Aids for Learning Ancient Greek Vocabulary
• Greek Lexicography

Lexica Available Online at No Charge

Some of the following lexica are electronic editions that can be used interactively online. Others are PDF files that can be downloaded and used on your personal computer. All are available free of charge.

Greek

• Liddell-Scott-Jones Lexicon

  Search the big LSJ online! You may access the Liddell-Scott-Jones Lexicon at the Perseus site.

  While this electronic edition of LSJ is tremendously useful, it is not as up-to-date as the ninth printed edition . For serious lexical study it is still necessary to consult the paper-and-ink version.




Perseus text-only home page



• Morphological Analysis tool

  If you need to identify the form of a Greek word, try Perseus' Morphological Analysis tool.

• The Perseus Project

  The tools listed above are provided by the Perseus Project , an amazing resource for anyone studying Ancient Greek or Latin.

• Louw and Nida, A Greek-English Lexicon Based on Semantic Domains

This tool allows you to browse the semantic domain categories used in this lexicon and see not only the definitions provided by Louw and Nida, but also those appearing in several older, and much less reliable lexica.

• S. C. Woodhouse's English-Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language

  Woodhouse's English-Greek Dictionary can be searched at the library of the University of Chicago. While the dictionary is quite old (1910), it can be very useful for anyone learning Attic prose composition.

• Souter's 1917 Lexicon, A Pocket Lexicon to the Greek New Testament (PDF)

  Textkit provides a PDF version of Souter's 1917 lexicon . This lexicon should not be used for serious exegetical work, but can be a useful tool for casual reading of Greek texts. Appropriately, the last entry in the lexicon (on page 297) is WFELIMOS ("useful").

Reverse Search of Greek-English Lexica

While there are no reliable English to Ancient Greek dictionaries available on the internet, it is possible to conduct a "reverse search" of two online Greek lexica. To find English words that appear in the definitions of the Greek words these lexica contain, use the following tools.

• Reverse Search of Louw and Nida's Greek-English Lexicon Based on Semantic Domains
• Reverse Search of the Liddell-Scott-Jones Lexicon (LSJ)

Lexica for Linguistics

• Utrecht Institute Lexicon of Linguistics

  Utrecht Institute of Linguistics has produced a well designed lexicon of linguistics that is searchable online. Since the entries have been submitted by various users of the lexicon, there is a natural variation in the quality of the articles.

• SIL Glossary of Linguistics Terms

  The Summer Institute of Linguistics' glossary of linguistics terms is somewhat more limited in scope than the Utrecht Institute Lexicon, but is still very useful. It contains only linguistics terms that could serve as glosses in a text, and excludes broader terms that designate, for example, theories or other entities that could not serve as glosses for words or phrases in a text.

Print Lexica Available for Purchase

For all of the following print versions, click on the appropriate link to find information on price and availability.

Greek Lexica

The Classical Period

• Liddell-Scott-Jones, Greek-English Lexicon

This lexicon is the standard for Classical Greek, but also covers the Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine periods. The new ninth edition includes the revised supplement listed below.

• Liddell-Scott-Jones, Revised Supplement

  This newly revised supplement provides much more up-to- date information on many words treated in the eighth edition of the main lexicon. For serious study of Classical Greek it is indespensable unless you own the ninth edition of the lexicon.

• Liddell and Scott, An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon

This small volume is an abridged version of the seventh edition of the larger lexicon listed above. While it is a convenient tool for students on a tight budget, it is also seriously outdated. For precise work it will be necessary to consult the larger version.

The Hellenistic-Roman Period (New Testament Greek)

• Baur-Arndt-Gingrich, A Greek Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature 4th edition

The Baur-Arndt-Gingrich lexicon has long been the standard for the period of the New Testament and the other early Christian literature.

• Baur-Arndt-Gingrich, A Greek Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature

This earlier edition of the lexicon listed above is cheaper and still very useful. Of course it is not as accurate as the 4th edition listed above.

• Louw and Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains

  This revolutionary lexicon comes in two volumes. Volume one contains the definitions, organized by semantic domains (meaning groups). Words sharing a particular meaning or expressing a related meaning are found at the same place in the lexicon. Each entry provides a true definition--an explanation of the meaning of the word-- not just a translation equivalent. Volume two is an alphabetically organized index enabling the reader to look up Greek words to find their definitions or English words to find their Greek equivalents.

• G.W.H. Lampe, Patristic Greek Lexicon

Lamp's lexicon has remained the standard for the patristic literature for many years. While it is extremely expensive, it is undoubtedly the standard for the field.

 

Dictionaries of Linguistics Terms

• David Crystal, A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics

This dictionary focusses mainly on Generative Linguistics.

• R.L. Trask, A Student's Dictionary of Language and Linguistics

This little dictionary provides a helpful aid to the beginning student. It is less up-to-date than Crystal's dictionary, but covers a broader range of linguistic theories.

Aids for Learning Ancient Greek Vocabulary

Warren Trenchard, Complete Vocabulary Guide to the Greek New Testament   Trenchad's vocabulary guide is a thorough and clearly presented introduction to the vocabulary of the Greek New Testament.