This page is derived from a
paper in
The George Washington Law Review. This page is intended to make all thirteen of the dictionaries referenced in that
paper easily accessible, by providing links to each one of them.
Most eighteenth-century lexicographers considered the English version of the Latin alphabet to consist of just 24 letters,
with I and J -- and also U and V -- being two separate signs for a single letter. That is why there are
usually just 24 indicial entries for each of the thirteen dictionaries listed below. In fact, there are only two (Perry and Webster) that
count 26 letters in the alphabet, and both of these were printed in the United States of America (in Worcester, Mass. and New York City,
respectively). Note also that several of these dictionaries contain essays on English grammar (usually as prefatory material) as well as
extended lists of Biblical and geographical names (as appendices).
English Language Dictionaries from the Founding Era
John Ash,
New and Complete Dictionary of the English Language (1775 -- Vol. 1)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I&J
K
L
M
John Ash,
New and Complete Dictionary of the English Language (1775 -- Vol. 2)
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U&V
W
X
Y
Z
Supplement
Nathan Bailey,
An Universal Etymological English Dictionary (London, T. Waller, 4th ed. 1756)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I&J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U&V
W
X
Y
Z
Slang
[Editor's Note: There are several apparent lacunae in Google's version of Bailey's dictionary. 29 March,
2021.]
James Barclay,
A Complete and Universal English Dictionary (1792)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I&J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U&V
W
X
Y
Z
Thomas Dyche
& William Pardon, A New General English Dictionary (18th ed. 1781)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I&J
K
L
M*
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U&V
W
X
Y
Z
[Editor's Note: There are many pages out of sequence in Google's revised version of Dyche & Pardon. In particular, entries
beginning "O", "P", "Q", "R", and "S" appear in an essentially random sequence, and not in alphabetical order. 30 March, 2021.]
Samuel Johnson,
A Dictionary of the English Language (10th Ed. 1792)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I&J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U&V
W
X
Y
Z
William Perry,
The Royal Standard English Dictionary (1788)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W*
Y
Z
Appendix
Thomas Sheridan,
A Complete Dictionary of The English Language (3d ed. 1790 -- Vol. 1)
Of Grammar
Preface
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I&J
Thomas Sheridan,
A Complete Dictionary of The English Language (3d ed. 1790 -- Vol. 2)
K
L
M
N*
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U&V
W
X
Y
Z
John Walker,
A Critical Pronouncing Dictionary (1791)
Preface
Of Pronunciation
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I&J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U&V
W
X
Y
Z
Noah Webster,
An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828 -- Vol. 1)
Of Language
Of Grammar
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
Noah Webster,
An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828 -- Vol. 2)
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Legal Dictionaries from the Founding Era
Richard Burn
& John Burn, A New Law Dictionary (1792 -- Vol. 1)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
Richard Burn
& John Burn, A New Law Dictionary (1792 -- Vol. 2)
I&J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U&V
W
Y
Timothy Cunningham, A New and Complete Law Dictionary (1764 -- Vol. 1)
A
B
C
D
E
Timothy Cunningham, A New and Complete Law Dictionary (1764 -- Vol. 2)
F
G
H
I&J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U&V
W
X
Y
Z
Giles Jacob,
A New Law Dictionary (6th ed. 1750)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I&J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U&V
W
X
Y
Z
Thomas Potts,
A Compendious Law Dictionary (1803)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I&J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U&V
W
Y
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