Mujam Taymur al-Kabir fi al-Alfaz al-Ammiya
- Author died
- 1348 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Kutub wa-al-Watha'iq al-Qawmiyyah bi-al-Qahirah
Mu'jam Taymur al-Kabir fi al-Alfaz al-Ammiya (Taymur’s Great Dictionary of Colloquial Words) is an extensive Arabic dictionary compiled by the Egyptian scholar and historian Ahmad Taymur Pasha (1288–1348 AH / 1871–1930 CE), dedicated to documenting, analyzing, and tracing the origins of colloquial Egyptian vocabulary and expressions .
Scope and Methodology
Taymur conceived the work after observing that earlier treatises were insufficient for modern needs, while contemporary writings consisted primarily of brief treatises and incomplete fragments . He aimed to provide a comprehensive reference for contemporary colloquial Egyptian speech, uncovering the roots and meanings of vernacular terms, clarifying ambiguous words, and identifying their standard Classical Arabic counterparts .
The dictionary demonstrates the close connection between colloquial Egyptian Arabic and Classical Arabic (Fusha), as well as connections with other regional vernaculars . It identifies loanwords and foreign lexical elements introduced into Arabic, explaining their correct original forms and describing the phonetic alterations and semantic shifts that affected them . In addition to vocabulary, the dictionary gives substantial attention to idiomatic expressions, proverbs, wise sayings, counsel, keen observations, and street vendor calls .
Structure
Taymur arranged the dictionary alphabetically according to the Arabic lexicon (huruf al-mu'jam) . He preceded the lexical entries with an introduction divided into three chapters .
Compilation and Publication History
Taymur assembled the dictionary's material by recording vernacular phenomena and citations encountered during his extensive reading across works in his private collection, noting each citation with its source and adding personal commentary in dedicated notebooks . Because he reviewed source works multiple times and entered notes cumulatively without an initial unifying order, identical rules and phenomena were often repeated across different sections .
During Taymur's lifetime, selected passages were published in the journal of the Arab Scientific Academy of Damascus, and two excerpts appeared in the newspaper al-Balagh on 25 and 26 May 1926 . Following his death, the Committee for Publishing Taymurian Works (Lajnat Nashr al-Mu’allafat al-Taymuriyya) provided the manuscripts, copies, and scattered notes to the Egyptian General Authority for Editing and Publishing (al-Hay'a al-Misriyya al-Amma lil-Ta'lif wa-al-Nashr) . Scholar Hussein Nassar prepared and edited the work, organizing its content, standardizing redundant notes, and providing bracketed headings where necessary, with support from Suhayr al-Qalamawi . The multi-volume work was subsequently issued in Cairo by the Egyptian National Library and Archives (Dar al-Kutub wa-al-Watha'iq al-Qawmiyya) through its Heritage Editing Center .
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