Houaiss Dictionary of the Portuguese Language
dictionary of the Portuguese language
The Dicionário Houaiss da Língua Portuguesa is a dictionary for the Portuguese language, which was compiled by the Brazilian lexicographer Antônio Houaiss. Conceived as a lusophone reference work, it aims to provide the most complete record of Portuguese vocabulary worldwide and is regarded as one of the most ambitious lexicographical projects undertaken in the language.
History
The project was conceived in 1985 by Brazilian philologist, diplomat, and lexicographer Antônio Houaiss, who aimed to produce the most comprehensive dictionary of the Portuguese language. The initiative envisioned a "General Dictionary of the Portuguese Language" that would document vocabulary used across Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
Work advanced for eight years until 1992, when it was suspended due to financial difficulties. The project resumed in 1995 through a partnership between the institute Antônio Houaiss of Lexicografia and the publisher Editora Objetiva, with the support of the institute's director Francisco Melo Franco and chief lexicographer Mauro Villar. A large editorial team was assembled, consisting of about 140 to 150 specialists, including lexicographers, etymologists, redactors, professors, daters, and reviewers from Brazil, Portugal, Angola, and East Timor.
Houaiss died on 7 March 1999, after 15 years of work, with approximately 70 percent of the dictionary completed. To guide completion of the work, Houaiss left behind a detailed hundred-page editorial manual. The remaining portion was finalized by the editorial team, aided by a computerized database that facilitated coordination.
“Houaiss Dictionary of the Portuguese Language” enters the record as dictionary of the Portuguese language. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Houaiss, Dictionary and Portuguese can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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This entry incorporates text from “Houaiss Dictionary of the Portuguese Language” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.