al-Mujam al-Wasit
- Author died
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- Editions
- Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo
al-Mu'jam al-Wasit (The Intermediate Dictionary) is a modern general Arabic dictionary compiled by a committee under the auspices of the Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo (مجمع اللغة العربية بالقاهرة) . It was edited and prepared by Ibrahim Mustafa, Ahmad Hasan al-Zayyat, Hamid Abd al-Qadir, and Muhammad Ali al-Najjar .
Background and Purpose
The dictionary was commissioned by the Academy of the Arabic Language to address the deficiencies and complexities of classical Arabic lexicons, whose obscure definitions, archaic boundaries, and intricate arrangements were no longer suited to the requirements of the modern era . Early ministerial directives envisioned an accessible, systematically organized lexicon that would meet the needs of students and educated readers, adopting a clear descriptive style aligned with modern lexicographical standards .
Scope and Methodology
The compilers eliminated rare, obscure, and obsolete vocabulary (al-hawshi wa-al-mahjur) whenever a standard synonymous term sufficed . In their place, the dictionary incorporated extensive scientific and artistic terminology, expressions from modern daily life, and newly coined (muwallad) or Arabicized (mu'arrab) words . It also integrated vocabulary approved by the Academy's formal decrees, marking such entries with symbols like «مج» (majma'i) .
Entries are organized alphabetically by root, following the root-order system exemplified by al-Zamakhshari's Asas al-Balagha and al-Fayyumi's al-Misbah al-Munir . Within each root entry, the material follows a standardized internal order:
- Verbs are placed before nouns .
- Unaugmented (mujarrad) verbs precede augmented (mazid) forms .
- Intransitive verbs precede transitive verbs .
- Concrete and physical meanings precede abstract and rational ones .
- Literal (haqiqi) meanings precede figurative (majazi) ones .
Abbreviations and symbols were employed for conciseness, and drawings were included for items—such as plants, animals, and instruments—where verbal descriptions alone were insufficient .
Publication History
The first edition was issued in 1380 AH / 1960–1961 CE in two large volumes, spanning approximately 1,100 three-column pages and containing around 30,000 root entries, one million words, and 600 illustrations . A second edition, which corrected earlier oversights, appeared in 1392–1393 AH / 1972–1973 CE by Dar al-Ma'arif, followed by a third edition in 1985 . Subsequent revisions and editions involved committees including Ibrahim Anis, Abd al-Halim Muntasir, Atiyya al-Sawalhi, and Muhammad Khalafallah Ahmad, with print supervision by Abd al-Salam Harun .
Reception and Critique
al-Mu'jam al-Wasit is regarded as the first modern Arabic dictionary issued by an official language academy possessing legislative authority over the language, noted for its methodological precision, accessibility, and integration of modern terminology .
Despite its widespread adoption, it received scholarly critiques. Adnan al-Khatib tracked various linguistic slips and published them in a series of articles in the journal of the Arabic Language Academy in Damascus between 1963 and 1967, later assembling them into a monograph in 1967 . Some scholars also noted that certain lexical glosses—such as defining al-arsh as dominion (al-mulk) or interpreting God's speech (kalimatu Allah) as His decree and will—reflected Mu'tazilite theological tendencies .
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