Clemente Peani (1731–1782), also known as Clemens Peanius and Clemens di Gesù, was a member of Congregatio de Propaganda Fide who was involved in the preparation of '' Alphabetum grandonico-malabaricum sive samscrudonicum'', published in 1772 by the congregation's press.Library of Congress online catalog Clemente spent several years in

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

where he devoted himself to mission work and a study of

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

, a

Dravidian language The Dravidian languages (or sometimes Dravidic) are a family of languages spoken by 250 million people, mainly in southern India, north-east Sri Lanka, and south-west Pakistan. Since the colonial era, there have been small but significant i ...

. During a visit to Rome he cut and engraved a set of Malayalam types for the press.''European Missionaries and the Study of Dravidian Languages (Notes on some books and manuscripts held in the British Museum)'' by Albertine Gaur

References

1731 births 1782 deaths Missionary linguists Roman Catholic missionaries in India Lexicographers Malayalam language 18th-century lexicographers {{RC-bio-stub