The ''Dehkhoda Dictionary'' ( fa, لغت‌نامهٔ دهخدا) is the largest comprehensive

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

encyclopedic dictionary An encyclopedic dictionary typically includes many short listings, arranged alphabetically, and discussing a wide range of topics. Encyclopedic dictionaries can be general, containing articles on topics in many different fields; or they can sp ...

ever published, comprising 200 volumes. It is published by the Tehran University Press (UTP) under the supervision of the Dehkhoda Dictionary Institute. It was first published in 1931. It traces the historical development of the Persian language, providing a comprehensive resource to scholars and academic researchers, as well as describing usage in its many variations throughout the world. The complete work is an ongoing effort that has taken over forty-five years of effort by Ali-Akbar Dehkhoda and a cadre of other experts. Although ''Dehkhoda'' covers a big part of literary terms and words in

, the first edition of it lacks most scientific and technology terms coined by the

Academy of Persian Language and Literature The Academy of Persian Language and Literature (APLL) ( fa, فرهنگستان زبان و ادب فارسی, ''Farhangestân-e Zabân-o Adab-e Fârsi'') is the regulatory body for the Persian language, headquartered in Tehran, Iran. Formerly know ...

during the past decades. However the newer editions cover them. Dehkhoda states in the preface of the first edition of the dictionary that "Not only does this book miss 2/3 of today’s entire

Persian vocabulary Persian belongs to the Indo-European language family, and many words in modern Persian usage ultimately originate from Proto-Indo-European. The language makes extensive use of word building techniques such as affixation and compounding to derive n ...

, at least half of the words I knew were forgotten and not recorded in this book." Many of those words were added in newer editions published after his death. The newer editions have been published yearly by the

University of Tehran The University of Tehran (Tehran University or UT, fa, دانشگاه تهران) is the most prominent university located in Tehran, Iran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as its research and teaching pro ...

. The original series initially consisted of 3 million records ''bargeh'') (up to 100 records for each word or proper noun) until

Dehkhoda Allameh Ali Akbar Dehkhodā ( fa, علی‌اکبر دهخدا; 1879–March 9, 1956) was a prominent Iranian linguist and lexicographer. He was the author of the Dehkhoda Dictionary, the most extensive dictionary of the Persian language pu ...

's death and currently contains 500,000 entries that according to the latest digital release of the dictionary by Tehran University Press (version 3.0) are based on an ever-growing library of over 2300 volumes in

lexicology Lexicology is the branch of linguistics that analyzes the lexicon of a specific language. A word is the smallest meaningful unit of a language that can stand on its own, and is made up of small components called morphemes and even smaller element ...

and various other scientific fields. It was first printed in 1931. Dehkhoda was also helped by prominent linguists

Mohammad Moin Mohammad Moin ( fa, , his surname could also be transliterated as Mo'in) (July 12, 1914, Rasht, Iran – July 4, 1971, Tehran, Iran)Date of birth July 12, 1914, is according to Professor Mo'in's own notes. However, some sources indicate April 2 ...

Ja'far Shahidi , image = Dr Seyed Jafar Shahidi (01).png , image caption = , birth_name = , birth_date = March 21, 1919 , birth_place = Borujerd, Iran , death_date = , death_place = Tehran, Iran , occupation = Distinguished prof ...

, and Mohammad Dabirsiyaghi. The work became so significant that in 1945, a bill was proposed in the

Majles The Islamic Consultative Assembly ( fa, مجلس شورای اسلامی, Majles-e Showrā-ye Eslāmī), also called the Iranian Parliament, the Iranian Majles (Arabicised spelling Majlis) or ICA, is the national legislative body of Iran. The Pa ...

, signed by numerous members of the Iranian Parliament, including

Mohammed Mossadegh Mohammad Mosaddegh ( fa, محمد مصدق, ; 16 June 1882 – 5 March 1967) was an Iranian politician, author, and lawyer who served as the 35th Prime Minister of Iran from 1951 to 1953, after appointment by the 16th Majlis. He was a member of ...

, to allocate a special budget and staff to completing the project. Offices were provided for the task inside the compounds of the

itself, and later on, the entire project was moved to

College of Humanities, with additional staffing, where the

Dehkhoda Institute The Dehkhoda Lexicon Institute ( fa, مؤسسه لغت‌نامه دهخدا, Muʾassasa-ye Loghatnāme-ye Dehkhodā, meaning Dehkhoda Dictionary Institute) or International Center for Persian Studies: ICPS (مرکز بین‌المللی آمو� ...

was founded, and where it remains until this day.

References

The preface of the digital version of the ''Dehkhoda Dictionary'', release 3.0. Tehran University Press. 2006.

External links

Dehkhoda Institute & International Center for Persian Studies

''Dehkhoda'' in Jazirehdanesh (Persian)

Online version of the ''Dehkhoda Dictionary''

Dehkhoda Online Dictionary
{{University of Tehran 1931 non-fiction books Dehkhoda Persian dictionaries Iranian books

See also

References

External links