Yesterday I got a Pocket Latin Dictionary and the Chambers Murray Latin Dictionary and have been juggling these along with Lewis & Short on Kindle and the Perseus version plus online dictionaries at Latinitium - and yeah, a bit of Google translate too. I’m getting a bit of a workflow going and learning the dance of the dictionaries. Oh and https://latin-dictionary.net/ is proving quite handy too.
Posting here to prove I’m present but also please pipe up if you have any dictionary dance steps you’d like to share!
Hi Elspeth, you’ll probably find that this is just the beginning of your Latin dictionary collection!
As you go on, you’ll find value in other dictionaries too. e.g. there is the Oxford Latin dictionary (probably the one I use the most): you can read its history here:
I think Penguin then produced a shorter dictionary from this excellent base, but I haven’t used that one.
PS I would recommend against using google translate for looking up word meanings. Its results are less accurate and carry lower confidence than using the dictionaries directly in my experience.
I fear you may be right. More dictionaries in my future. Goody! Thanks for the links.
I had a reply earlier that the forum went and ate before I could post it … grr … So, before attempting to re-create vaguely what I wrote, I will pause and read that background to the OLD.
Hi again … Well (now that I’ve read the background to the OLD) that’s a history that could make a dramatic film with a very tweedy 20th century aesthetic. But would it pass the Bechdel test?
I also learned the word ‘fascicle’.
So I must be among those for whom Lewis & Short is ‘a convenient desk reference […] it is not ideal, but is good enough.‘
Where I’m finding Google translate handy is for getting quick-and-dirty understandings of the classical examples in its entries. Though I’m a bit frustrated by not being able to copy and paste these from the entries themselves (on my iPad anyway) because of so many hyperlinks there.