As some may perhaps already know from seeing or responding to previous posts of mine on this forum, I’m currently making my way through the ‘intensive course’ textbooks, namely ‘Moreland and Fleischer’ (Latin), and ‘Hansen and Quinn’ (Greek). I happen to own a ‘Liddell and Scott’, eighth edition (1932!), Greek Lexicon, and whilst clearly such a work is going to be more frequently useful to those at a more advanced stage of study than myself, I have found it to be of great help in clarifying the range of meanings of certain words encountered in my textbook. And I suppose that even if I weren’t using it all that much at this early stage, it would still no doubt come in handy later on. What I would like to ask you fellows in this post is whether there exists a similarly prestigious lexicon for the Latin language as I’d like to own such a work so that I might be able consult it for similar purposes. It’s strange that in searching sites such as Ebay I’ve found more ‘Liddell and Scott’ Greek Lexicons than similar Latin Lexicons, as one would expect Latin to have been by far the more studied language of the two, but perhaps I’m just not searching right!
There are two: Lewis and Short, and the Oxford Latin Dictionary. The latter is the one to get. It’s more up-to-date and much better all round.
On the Greek side, Liddell&Scott was superseded by Liddell-Scott-Jones (LSJ) and its Supplement, and there’s now the independent Cambridge Lexicon to Classical Greek (CLCG), much less detailed and narrower in scope.
Speaking about the most detailed dictionaries, explaining every possible meanings, @mwh gave you titles of two main books. You can try online Lewis & Short before buying it.
I find Cassell’s Latin Dictionary more suitable for everyday use, detailed and compact.
For a handy, compact but reliable Latin-English dictionary, I’d recommend the Elementary Latin Dictionary by Charlton Lewis (the Lewis of Lewis & Short), published by Oxford and based on Lewis & Short. It identifies specific authors who use each word (though not citations), which is useful, as well offering as a range of meanings, and often glosses specific usages in important works. As a reader and not a scholar, I’ve happily used this dictionary for 60 years, turning to the big guns of L&S and now the OLD only occasionally.
On the Greek side, I find my Intermediate Liddell & Scott serves most of my needs adequately. I have the big LSJ, which I sometimes consult. The online version of LSJ is handy, but it’s a pain to use. Half the time I end up hauling out my hard copy in frustration. For Homer, Cunliffe’s handy lexicon is indispensable for me.