John Ash (divine)
Encyclopedia
John Ash was an English
Baptist minister at Pershore
, Worcestershire
, divine, and author of an English dictionary
and grammar books.
about 1724. He studied for the ministry at Bristol
, under Bernard Foskett, became pastor at Loughwood Meeting House
, a Baptist chapel in Dorset, and while there contributed to periodicals. He settled in the ministry at Pershore in 1746, as the result of a compromise between different parties in the congregation.
He obtained a degree of LL.D. from a Scottish university in 1774, and died at Pershore in March or April 1779, aged 55.
Ash's New and Complete Dictionary was noteworthy for the number of obsolete and provincial
words contained in it. It incorporated most of Nathan Bailey
's collection of canting
words. This dictionary was the first to define in English the previously omitted words fuck
and cunt
.[8] His debt to Samuel Johnson
was demonstrated in a famous error in his etymology
of curmudgeon, as deriving from the French for "unknown correspondent"; Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language
from twenty years before explains that the word derives from "cœur méchant" (malicious-hearted), attributing his information to an "unknown correspondent".[8]
An earlier work was:
Other works:
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
Baptist minister at Pershore
Pershore
Pershore is a market town in Worcestershire, England, on the banks of the River Avon. Pershore is in the Wychavon district and is part of the West Worcestershire parliamentary constituency. At the 2001 census the population was 7,304...
, Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
, divine, and author of an English 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 grammar books.
Life
Ash was born in DorsetDorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
about 1724. He studied for the ministry at Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, under Bernard Foskett, became pastor at Loughwood Meeting House
Loughwood Meeting House
-External links:*...
, a Baptist chapel in Dorset, and while there contributed to periodicals. He settled in the ministry at Pershore in 1746, as the result of a compromise between different parties in the congregation.
He obtained a degree of LL.D. from a Scottish university in 1774, and died at Pershore in March or April 1779, aged 55.
Works
Ash is best known as a lexicographer, author of:- New and Complete Dictionary of the English Language, 2 vols. 1775, 2nd edition 1795.
Ash's New and Complete Dictionary was noteworthy for the number of obsolete and provincial
Provincial
Provincial may refer to:* Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country.* Provincial examinations, a school-leaving exam in British Columbia, Canada* A provincial superior of a religious order...
words contained in it. It incorporated most of Nathan Bailey
Nathan Bailey
Nathan Bailey was an English philologist and lexicographer.-Life:Bailey was a Seventh Day Baptist, admitted 1691 to a congregation in Whitechapel, London. He was probably excluded from the congregation by 1718. Later he had a school at Stepney...
's collection of canting
Cant (language)
A Cant is the jargon or argot of a group, often implying its use to exclude or mislead people outside the group.-Derivation in Celtic linguistics:...
words. This dictionary was the first to define in English the previously omitted words fuck
Fuck
"Fuck" is an English word that is generally considered obscene which, in its most literal meaning, refers to the act of sexual intercourse. By extension it may be used to negatively characterize anything that can be dismissed, disdained, defiled, or destroyed."Fuck" can be used as a verb, adverb,...
and cunt
Cunt
Cunt is a vulgarism, primarily referring to the female genitalia, specifically the vulva, and including the cleft of Venus. The earliest citation of this usage in the 1972 Oxford English Dictionary, c 1230, refers to the London street known as Gropecunt Lane...
.[8] His debt to Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson , often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer...
was demonstrated in a famous error in his etymology
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
of curmudgeon, as deriving from the French for "unknown correspondent"; Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language
A Dictionary of the English Language
Published on 15 April 1755 and written by Samuel Johnson, A Dictionary of the English Language, sometimes published as Johnson's Dictionary, is among the most influential dictionaries in the history of the English language....
from twenty years before explains that the word derives from "cœur méchant" (malicious-hearted), attributing his information to an "unknown correspondent".[8]
An earlier work was:
- Grammatical Institutes. It has been commented that "Ash understood much better than LowthRobert LowthRobert Lowth FRS was a Bishop of the Church of England, Oxford Professor of Poetry and the author of one of the most influential textbooks of English grammar.-Life:...
what it took to write a grammar for children."[7]
Other works:
- 'Sentiments on Education,' 2 vols. 1777; Sermon, 1778; 'Dialogues of Eumenes.'