Tamil Lexicon dictionary

Tamil Lexicon, officially known as Tamizh Paeragaraadhi, is a twelve-volume dictionary of the Tamil language. Published by the University of Madras, it is said to be the most comprehensive dictionary of the Tamil language to date. On the basis of several precursors, including Rottler's Tamil–English Dictionary, Winslow's Tamil–English Dictionary, and Pope's Compendious Tamil–English Dictionary, work on a more exhaustive dictionary began in January 1913 and the first forms were printed by the end of 1923. Initially estimated at ₹ 100,000, the total cost of the project came to about ₹ 410,000. The first edition had 4,351 pages in seven volumes, including a one-volume supplement, which were printed between 1924 and 1939 and had 104,405 words, with an additional 13,357 words in the supplementary volume, totaling to 124,405 words in all.

The dictionary was reprinted in 1956 and 1982. Work on the revised and expanded edition of the dictionary, being published in twelve volumes, began on 1 May 2003, with the first volume published in 2012 under the vice-chancellorship of K. Thiruvasagam. The revised edition of the dictionary will include words taken from secondary sources like modern and old literary works, newspapers, scientific journals and inscriptions.

Tamil Lexicon is the first among the dictionaries published in any Indian language.

Although the origin of the Tamil language dates back to antiquity, the first regular lexicon of the language, with words arranged alphabetically, did not appear until the eighteenth century. Lexicons of the earlier period were not arranged alphabetically but metrically, on the basis of the first-letter rhyme, a characteristic of Tamil poetry. Agaraadhi Nigandu was the first alphabetically arranged lexicon published in 1594. Several dictionaries followed suit, including those by the foreign missionaries, such as Palporut Choolaamani, Podhigai Nigandu, Tamil–Portuguese Dictionary of Fr. Antem de Proenca, Dictionarium Tamulicum, Chathur Agaraadhi, Fabricius's Tamil–English Dictionary, Manual Dictionary of the Tamil Language (The Jaffna Dictionary), Oru Sor Pala Porul Vilakkam, Rottler's Tamil–English Dictionary, Winslow's Tamil–English Dictionary, Pope's Compendious Tamil–English Dictionary, Classical Tamil–English Dictionary, Tamil Pocket Dictionary, Tranquebar Dictionary, N. Kadhirvel Pillai's Dictionary, Sangam Dictionary, and Ilakkiya Sol Agaraadhi.

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