18G8.] Contributions to Persian Lexicography. 7 



64. i^f^fiJ) ^y d^&y, Sh., Mn., Ma., FJ. 



65. oLu.^1 v 1 ^ ^'^y, Ma., FJ., Gli. 



The last work is written by Muhammed Badruddin, better known 

 as Abu Nacr i Farahi, of Farah, a town in Sijistan. The book 

 which has often been printed in India, is an ancient vocabulary in 

 rhyme, and is used in nearly every school in India. There exist 

 several commentaries to it, by ,y*4tf ov£:> ^x^s ^j ±+^ m who lived at 

 the time of Akbar, gU ^j ci~jj, and ^y ft&*. 



The above list of Persian Dictionaries does not give the names of 

 the L$y^ &&>y and the ly-*J| e>l*JJ^» ^-^y, two dictionaries 

 often quoted by the Madar ; but I suspect they are mentioned above 

 under a different name. 



III. 



After having specified the sources of the ten most valuable diction- 

 aries, I add a few notes on several of them. The notes are necessarily 

 short, as the subject matter of a dictionary is almost entirely indepen- 

 dent of the character and mind of the compiler. I trust, however, that 

 the remarks will be of some value, as they are the result of six years' 

 lexicographical studies. With the exception of Sururi's Majma'ulfurs 

 the notes refer to Indian works. 



1. 4UaJ| gj^f. 



This Dictionary is compiled by ^s^j^j &\a ^13 of Delhi. The 

 author adds to his name the words J\jj^<±> ^yJ\. The dictionary 

 was written in A. H. 822, or A. D. 1419, more than twenty years 

 after the sack of Delhi by Taimiir. The book is rather a vocabulary 

 than a dictionary ; the first part contains Persian words, and the 

 second Persian phrases. The words are arranged according to the 

 first, second, and last letters. No examples are given. For ancient 

 Persian words, especially for such for which there are no proofs, the 

 A'dat is of some importance. Otherwise the value of the book is 

 rather historical. MSS. are rare. 



The name of the author is yjj^ (* \j* fi^irM 5 hence llis dictionary 

 is sometimes called iS ^y.\ u&a/. He was a disciple of the famous 

 saint Sharafuddin Ahmad of Munair, a town in Bahar, to whose honor 

 the compiler called his work Sharafndmah. He says in the preface 

 (metre Mutaqarib) — 



