Henry Cockeram
Encyclopedia
Henry Cockeram was an English lexicographer
. In 1623, he authored the third known English Language
dictionary
, and the first to contain the title "dictionary".
Little is known about Cockeram beyond the fact that he authored this work. From the various dedications in his works, it is apparent that he lived in Exeter
, England, where contemporary records suggest that he could be the Henrye Cockram who married Elizabethe Strashley, on 2 February 1613. The dedications and prefixes on the first edition show a friendship with John Webster
, the playwright, who wrote:
Cockeram's dictionary was not intended to be an exhaustive list of words and definitions. As he states on the title page of his first edition, it was to aid "[l]adies and Gentlewomen, young Schollers, Clarkes, Merchants, as also Strangers of any Nation, to the understanding of the more difficult Authors already printed in our Language". In terms of sources for his work, Cockeram turned to John Bullokar
, who authored another dictionary, the English Expositor, in 1616. It is almost certain that Cockeram took many of his definitions from a Dutchman, known only as A. M., who translated Oswald Gaebelkhover's famous medical journal, Boock of Physicke, from Dutch into English. James A. Riddell gives evidence that other sources likely to have been used include Thomas Dekker's The Strange Horse Race of 1613. Cockeram went through the book, locating words that could be included, and when he found a word that was used in Robert Cawdrey
's Table Alphbeticall (the first known dictionary of English), he copied Cawdrey's definition. Cockeram acknowledged the use of other lexicographers on the title page of his dictionary; on one edition, it said that the work was "a Collection of the choicest words contained in the Table Alphabeticall and the English Expositor, and of some thousand of words never published by any heretofore". Despite this, he translated or Anglicised a number of words, shown in the Oxford English Dictionary
, which attributes the source of approximately 600 words to Cockeram's dictionary.
The dictionary was a general success, and did not meet with much contemporary criticism. It went through eleven editions between 1623 and 1658, and until 1656, Bullokar's English Expositor was its only rival.
Lexicography
Lexicography is divided into two related disciplines:*Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionaries....
. In 1623, he authored the third known English Language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
dictionary
Dictionary
A dictionary is a collection of words in one or more specific languages, often listed alphabetically, with usage information, definitions, etymologies, phonetics, pronunciations, and other information; or a book of words in one language with their equivalents in another, also known as a lexicon...
, and the first to contain the title "dictionary".
Little is known about Cockeram beyond the fact that he authored this work. From the various dedications in his works, it is apparent that he lived in Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
, England, where contemporary records suggest that he could be the Henrye Cockram who married Elizabethe Strashley, on 2 February 1613. The dedications and prefixes on the first edition show a friendship with John Webster
John Webster
John Webster was an English Jacobean dramatist best known for his tragedies The White Devil and The Duchess of Malfi, which are often regarded as masterpieces of the early 17th-century English stage. He was a contemporary of William Shakespeare.- Biography :Webster's life is obscure, and the dates...
, the playwright, who wrote:
Cockeram's dictionary was not intended to be an exhaustive list of words and definitions. As he states on the title page of his first edition, it was to aid "[l]adies and Gentlewomen, young Schollers, Clarkes, Merchants, as also Strangers of any Nation, to the understanding of the more difficult Authors already printed in our Language". In terms of sources for his work, Cockeram turned to John Bullokar
John Bullokar
John Bullokar was an English physician and lexicographer. He was born in St Andrew's parish, Chichester, Sussex, and baptized there on November 8, 1574, third of four known children of Elizabeth and William Bullokar....
, who authored another dictionary, the English Expositor, in 1616. It is almost certain that Cockeram took many of his definitions from a Dutchman, known only as A. M., who translated Oswald Gaebelkhover's famous medical journal, Boock of Physicke, from Dutch into English. James A. Riddell gives evidence that other sources likely to have been used include Thomas Dekker's The Strange Horse Race of 1613. Cockeram went through the book, locating words that could be included, and when he found a word that was used in Robert Cawdrey
Robert Cawdrey
Robert Cawdrey produced one of the first dictionaries of the English language, the Table Alphabeticall, in 1604.-Career:...
's Table Alphbeticall (the first known dictionary of English), he copied Cawdrey's definition. Cockeram acknowledged the use of other lexicographers on the title page of his dictionary; on one edition, it said that the work was "a Collection of the choicest words contained in the Table Alphabeticall and the English Expositor, and of some thousand of words never published by any heretofore". Despite this, he translated or Anglicised a number of words, shown in the Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
, which attributes the source of approximately 600 words to Cockeram's dictionary.
The dictionary was a general success, and did not meet with much contemporary criticism. It went through eleven editions between 1623 and 1658, and until 1656, Bullokar's English Expositor was its only rival.