A Table Alphabetical, Containing and Teaching the True Writing and Understanding of Hard Usual English Words, Borrowed from the Hebrew, Greek, Latin, or French &c.

Robert Cawdrey's 1604 A Table Alphabetical is recognized as the first purely English dictionary published as a standalone work. This dictionary aimed to teach the correct writing and understanding of difficult English words, drawing from Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and French origins. Cawdrey's work contained approximately 3,000 words and was heavily influenced by earlier sources, notably Edmund Coote's 1596 work and Thomas Thomas's Latin-English dictionary. It also incorporated explanations for words that were poorly translated from Latin by a Dutch individual, which Cawdrey included to clarify their meaning. Despite its reliance on other texts, Cawdrey's dictionary was popular, with multiple editions published.12