66 



certainly exceeded his predecessors.* The remarks on the letters 

 are taken from O'Brien's Dictionary. He has given, in general, 

 the genders of nouns and the parts of speech to which the several 

 classes of words belong, and, in many instances, quoted authorities 

 from our old authors, to exemplify the meanings. The several 

 words are also given in Italic letters for the use of those who do not 

 use or understatid the Irish characters. All these are so many 

 useful additions to the former Dictionaries, and as they must have 

 been attended with considerable expence and labour, entitle the 

 author to the thanks of the Irish scholar. Though, thus, much has 

 be^en achieved, yet many valuable and necessary parts have been left 

 undone. The pointing out the position of the accent in the word 

 is wholly omitted, as also the pronunciation of the words and theii* 

 etytnology and cognates in the Celtic dialects ; neither are their affi- 

 nities traced to other languages. Many admit of a fuller interpreta- 

 tioA and more extended signification, and their literal and figurative 

 tteantii^ should be pointed out. Of some the parts of speech are 

 not Tnarked, and many of the verbs are given in certain slates, 

 witlHjut pointing out the root, or conjugation, or even their denomi- 

 nation. In ilEiany instances words are not in alphabetical or strict 

 dictionary order, and those so misplaced may be well deemed as 



* The author has stated, in the title page, that his work " contains upwards of twenty thoU'. 

 sand words that never appeared in any former Irish Lexicon" ! ! ! It is necessary that the student 

 should understand this statement. He has followed O'Clery, Lluyd, O'Brien, and particularly 

 Shaw (whose Galic Dictionary he made the ground-work of his production) in repeating the 

 same word generally as often as it has different meanings. These repetitions are all included in 

 the total number, so that the same word is enumerated several times. There was no necessity 

 for this numerical ostentation, the author having, as noticed above, considerably added to the col« 

 lection of words in most of our former Lexicons. 



