Robert Cawdrey

English educator and lexicographer

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June 24, 2026

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Robert Cawdrey was an English educator and lexicographer. In 1604, he published A Table Alphabetical, which is considered the first purely English dictionary issued as a separate work. This dictionary contained approximately 3,000 words and focused on "hard usual English words" borrowed from various languages. Cawdrey's work was heavily influenced by earlier sources, including Edmund Coote's 1596 work and Thomas Thomas's Latin-English dictionary. He also included words that were the result of a Dutchman's translation errors, explained by simpler synonyms. Despite its limitations, Cawdrey's dictionary went through several editions, indicating its usefulness at the time.1

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From 1604 to 1828
, by Robert Cawdrey, who had been a schoolmaster at Oakham, Rutland, about 1580 and in 1604 was living at Coventry. He had the collaboration of his son Thomas, a schoolmaster in London. This work contained about 3,000 words but was so dependent upon three sources that…
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, by Robert Cawdrey, who had been a schoolmaster at Oakham, Rutland, about 1580 and in 1604 was living at Coventry. He had the collaboration of his son Thomas, a schoolmaster in London. This work contained about 3,000 words but was so dependent upon three sources that…
Read More