Tag Umbrella

Kenkyusha's Lighthouse Japanese-English Dictionary (1990)

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Title: ライトハウス和英辞典・Kenkyusha's Lighthouse Japanese-English Dictionary
Volumes: 1
Language: Japanese / English
Publisher: 研究者
Year: 1990
Pages: 1,808

I have the second edition of this dictionary. This is a pretty straight-forward Japanese-to-English dictionary with approximately 40,000 entries. Its intended audience is native Japanese speakers, but it offers a number of benefits to someone learning Japanese. Like many Kenkyusha dictionaries, it has copious example sentences with each word, providing collocations and idiomatic usage. These sentences are the dictionary's real strength, and they help a learner of either language learn vocabulary in context.

The front inner flap of the dictionary provides place names, while the back inner flap provides a list of famous people. There is a guide on usage and symbols at the beginning of the dictionary, and a one-page pronunciation guide at the end. Peppered throughout are a series of info boxes, providing the learner of English with guidance on specific topics, such as "greetings," "sports," or "restaurants." There are a few black-and-white photographs and labelled diagrams scattered throughout, but this monochromatic dictionary is mostly text.

Sample Entries

In order to allow easy comparison between the different reference works on this site, I use the same entries, where available: "umbrella" and "Saint Louis." I picked these because they generally provide shorter examples, but also because I knew that "umbrella" would likely be found in all of the dictionaries and "Saint Louis" would likely be found in all of the encyclopedias. This dictionary does not generally have place names or other proper nouns featured as entries, though Saint Louis does appear in a special chart on page 41 which lists all of the state names as well as the names of major cities in both English and katakana, next to a map of the United States on the following page. "Umbrella" has a pretty normal-sized entry for this dictionary, found on page 281.

かさ1　傘 umbrélla 🄲; (日傘) súnshàde 🄲, párasòl 🄲 ★ 前者のほうがより一般的。

¶　私は*傘をたたんだ　I ｢closed [folded] my umbrella. // *傘をさしなさい　Put up [Open] your umbrella. // 彼はきれいに巻いてあった*傘をほどいてさした　He undid his neatly rolled umbrella and put it up. // 雨が降りそうだから*傘を持って行きなさい　Take an umbrella with you. It looks like rain. // *傘に入れて下さいませんか（⇒あなたの傘を共同で使ってよろしいですか）May I share your umbrella? // 私の*傘に入りませんか　Won't you get under my umbrella? // *傘が風でおちょこになった　The wind turned my umbrella inside out. // 彼女は私に*傘をさしてくれた　She held the umbrella over me. // 他国の核の*傘の下にいて、果たして安全だろうか　Are we really safe under the nuclear umbrella of a foreign nation?

傘立て umbrella stand 🄲　傘の柄［骨］umbrella ｢handle [rib] 🄲.

The 🄲 marks countable nouns (it is common to say things like "three umbrellas"). The star (★) marks a cautionary usage note - in this case, it tells the user that the former word (umbrella) is more common than the given alternates.

A Dictionary of the English Language (1755)

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Title: A Dictionary of the English Language
Author: Samuel Johnson
Volumes: 2 (facsimile: 1)
Language: English
Publisher: F. and P Knapton, T. and T. Longman, C. Hitch and L. Hawes, A. Millar, and R. and J. Dodsley. (facsimile: Times Books)
Year: 1775 (facsimile: 1983)
Pages: 2,316

This one is particularly special to me. I'm an enormous fan of this dictionary, to the point that I started digitizing this dictionary in 2011. I handed the digitization project over to Beth Young at the University of Central Florida in 2016. (Check it out here!) Part of the impetus for digitizing it was that I had such difficulty in finding an unabridged copy of the dictionary to read; I only lucked into this particular facsimile (at a ridiculously low price to boot) a couple of years ago. This facsimile is not true-to-life sized; the pages are shrunk to about half the length and width of the actual dictionary, and both volumes have been bound together. This reduction in physical size does make it easier to read or randomly browse the dictionary, so no complaints here. The title pages are also rendered in black-and-white (the original had selective red lettering). It is a complete unabridged facsimile, though, complete with all of the introductory material and ornaments. This particular facsimile was published by Times Books (London) in 1983 through arrangement with Japan's Yushodo Booksellers and Toppan Printing Co.

A Dictionary of the English Language, by Samuel Johnson, was published in 1755 in two folio-size volumes (it's about 20 pounds in weight - not exactly light reading). It took Johnson over 9 years of work to compile, and it generally holds the designation of being the first true, thorough dictionary of the English language. Its groundbreaking quality lies in the fact that he illustrates the definitions of the words with quotes from major works of English literary, philosophical, and scientific literature (generally ranging from Spencer on to his own time); this is a feature later adopted by the Oxford English Dictionary and the Grimm brothers' Deutsches Wörterbuch. It is also known for some of the more humorous definitions peppered throughout. A lexicographer, for instance, is defined as a "writer of dictionaries; a harmless drudge, that busies himself in tracing the original, and detailing the signification of words." Johnson had attempted to get funding for the dictionary from Lord Chesterfield, who reneged on providing a financial contribution, but still attempted to coax Johnson into dedicating the work to him; in possible retribution, one of the definitions for "patron" is "a wretch who supports with insolence, and is paid with flattery."

Johnson's dictionary begins with a preface, in which he explains his general methodology for selecting, defining, and spelling words. He also apologizes for any faults in a statement I feel would resonate well with anyone now attempting to create without financial resources or abundant leisure time: "In this work, when it shall be found that much is omitted, let it not be forgotten that much likewise is performed; and though no book was ever spared out of tenderness to the authour, and the world is little solicitous to know whence proceeded the faults of that which it condemns; yet it may gratify curiosity to inform it, that the English Dictionary was written with little assistance of the learned, and without any patronage of the great; not in the soft obscurities of retirement, or under the shelter of academick bowers, but amidst inconvenience and distraction, in sickness and in sorrow: and it may repress the triumph of malignant criticism to observe, that if our language is not here fully displayed, I have only failed in an attempt which no human powers have hitherto completed."

The preface is followed by "A History of the English Language" which is essentially an anthology of early English works, starting with a piece by Alfred the Great from the 9th century and ending with a selection from Dr. Thomas Wilson's The arte of rhetorique (1553). These sometimes very long specimens are presented without translation or commentary. This is followed by "A Grammar of the English Tongue," which includes information on pronunciation, parts of speech, syntax, and poetical forms. Here is a chart to help decipher the Anglo-Saxon font used in both the "History of the English Language" and in the etymologies provided for entries throughout the dictionary:

Sample Entries

In order to provide a common ground for comparison between the various reference works in this guide, I attempt to look up the same two terms in each: "umbrella" and "Saint Louis."


Umbre'lla. n.s. [from umbra, Lat.] A skreen used in hot countries to keep off the sun, and in others to bear off the rain.

I can carry your umbrella, and fan your ladyship. Dryden.

          Good housewives
Defended by th' umbrella's oily shed,
Safe through the wet on clinking pattens tread. Gay.

The quote by John Dryden is taken from his play Don Sebastian. The John Gay quote is from Book 1 ("Of the Implements for walking the Streets, and Signs of the Weather") of his long poem Trivia, or the Art of Walking the Streets of London.

"Saint Louis," as a geographical place name and not a word in common usage in 18th century England, does not itself have an entry, but we can cheat and split it into its constituent components to provide more examples.

SAINT. n.s. [saint, French; sanctus, Latin.] A person eminent for piety and virtue.

To thee be worship and thy saints for aye. Shakesp.

She will not stay the siege of loving terms,
Nor ope her lap to saint seducing gold. Shakespeare.

Then thus I cloath my naked villainy
With old odd ends, stol'n forth of holy writ,
And seem a saint, when most I play the devil. Shakespeare.

Miracles are required of all who aspire to this dignity, because they say an hypocrite may imitate a saint in all other particulars. Addison on Italy.

By thy example kings are taught to sway,
Heroes to fight, and saints may learn to pray. Granville.

So unaffected, so compos'd a mind;
So firm, yet soft, so strong, yet so refin'd,
Heav'n, as its purest gold, by tortures try'd,
The saint sustain'd it, but the woman dy'd. Pope.

The first Shakespeare quote is from Timon of Athens, the second is from Romeo's pining for Rosaline in Romeo and Juliet, and the third comes from Richard III. As Johnson mentions, the bit from Joseph Addison comes from his "Remarks on Several Parts of Italy, &c. in the Years 1701, 1702, 1703." The quotation from George Granville, 1st Baron Lansdowne, can be found in one of his poems dedicated "to the King." Alexander Pope's quote comes from his epitaph "On Mrs. Corbet, Who died of a Cancer in her Breast." Finally, here's the closest entry to "Louis."

LOUIS D'OR. n.s. [French.] A golden coin of France, valued at about seventeen shillings.

If he is desired to change a louis d'or, he must consider of it. Spectator, N. 305.

This number of The Spectator was written by Joseph Addison.

Be sure to visit Johnson's Dictionary Online!

Der Grosse Brockhaus (1984)

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Title: Der Große Brockhaus kompaktausgabe aktualisierte 18. Auflage in 26 Bänden
Volumes: 26
Language: German
Publisher: F. A. Brockhaus
Year: 1984
Pages: 10,382

I have the "compact edition" of Der Große Brockhaus. The normal 18th edition Brockhaus consisted of 12 normal volumes (plus a number of supplementary volumes). The compact edition splits each normal volume (plus a volume of additions/edits) into 2 volumes each and removes introductions, fold-outs, clear anatomy pages, etc., while maintaining the entire text and the general photographs, illustrations, diagrams, and maps that were present therein. It has been updated (particularly in the last two volumes, which are exclusively additions/edits) from 1977 (when the normal 18th edition appeared) to 1983/1984. In short, (12 + 1) normal volumes multiplied by 2 = 26 compact edition volumes.

Since this is the economical compact edition, there is no preface or introduction laying out the encyclopedia's methodology or recommended use; it jumps straight into A. The last few pages of each volume includes a list of common abbreviations used as well as a guide to symbols, but otherwise each volume is just main encyclopedia text. Entries in the first 24 volumes which have updates or addenda in the 2 "updated information" volumes are marked with a tiny triangle. The encyclopedia is in full-color (see example pictures).

Sample Entries

As with all of my reference work guide posts, I try to look up the same two words in order to provide a fair comparison between works: "umbrella" and "Saint Louis." Here are two entries for "umbrella" - the first, "Regenschirm," (specifically, rain umbrella) is from volume 18, p. 74. The second, much longer entry, "Schirm" (the umbrella term for umbrella), is from volume 19, p. 198, with illustrations on pages 198-200 to accompany the article.

Regenschirm, ein Schutz gegen Regen; schon im 9. Jh. bekannt, seit dem 19. Jh. allgemein verwendet.

Rain Umbrella, a protection against rain; in use as early as the 9th century and generally since the 19th century.

Schirm [ahd. scirm ›Schild‹], 1) Schutz gegen Sonne und Regen. Der Bezugsstoff wird mittels eines an einem Stab befestigten Drahtgestelles aufgespannt. Beim Taschen-S. hat der Stab ineinanderschiebbare Teile; Gestell und Bezug werden gefaltet.

Geschichtliches. Als Sonnenschutz wie auch als Zeichen von Macht und Ansehen vom Diener über den Würdenträger gehalten, war der S. im Altertum im ganzen Orient in Gebrauch, mit mehreren Etagen in China, Indien, Siam, reich ausgestattet bei Assyrern und Persern, aus Federn, Palmblättern, Stoff- oder Lederstreifen in Ägypten. Aus dem Orient kam er nach Griechenland, wo er, von der Dienerin nachgetragen, zum Gebrauchsgegenstand der vornehmen Dame wurde; er war ein dem Priester gebührendes Zeichen der Würde. Aus dem Orient übernahm auch die christl. Kirche den S. als Zeichen von Macht und Heiligkeit, bis er im 13. Jh. vom Baldachin abgelöst wurde. Als Gebrauchsgegenstand tauchte er erst im 16. Jh. in Portugal und Spanien wieder auf. Die Unterscheidung zwischen Sonnen- und Regen-S. trat erst im 18. Jh. hervor. (Weitere Bilder S. 199 und 200)

2) die Dolde (⟶Blütenstand).

3) in der Röntgen-, Kern- und Nachrichtentechnik ⟶Abschirmung. Bildschirm, ⟶Leuchtschirm, ⟶Bildröhre, ⟶Fernsehen, ⟶Röntgenstrahlen; ⟶Bildwand.

4) gallertiger S. (Schirmgallerte) der Medusen (⟶Hohltiere).

Umbrella [Old High German scirm 'shield'], 1) Protection against the sun and rain. The fabric is spread out on a stable wire frame fastened to a pole. The poles of pocket umbrellas are made up of pieces that can collapse into themselves; the frame and fabric are folded.

Historical. In ancient times the umbrella was in use throughout the entire Orient as a sunscreen as well as a symbol of power and status held by servants over dignitaries, with multiple levels in China, India, and Siam, richly furnished in Assyria and Persia, and made from feathers, palm leaves, fabric and leather strips in Egypt. From the Orient it passed into Greece, where it was carried by handmaidens as a commodity for noble women; it was a symbol of dignity befitting priests. The Christian church also used the umbrella, again borrowed from the Orient, as a symbol of power and holiness, until it was replaced by the baldachin in the 13th century. It first began to be used again as a commodity in the 16th century in Portugal and Spain. The differentiation between a sun umbrella and a rain one first arose in the 18th century. (Additional pictures on pp. 199 and 200)

2) The umbel (⟶blossom).

3) In X-Ray, nuclear, and news technology ⟶shielding. Display, ⟶luminescent screen, ⟶monitor tube, ⟶television, ⟶X-Rays; ⟶projection screen.

4) Gelatinous umbrella (mesogloea) of the medusa jellyfish (⟶Coelenterate)

Note that definition 2 is marked with a symbol for "Botanik" (Botany), 3 with "Technik" (Technology), 4 with "Zoologie, Viehzucht" (Zoology, Husbandry); I could not reproduce the symbols here, but they can be seen in the first illustration for this entry. The illustration on page 200, not reproduced here, features a small diagram of the parts of the umbrella (definition 1), each labelled. The definitions of "Schirm" beyond "umbrella" do a good job of showing the intertextual ⟶ hyperlinks the Brockhaus uses to guide the reader to other entries. The entry for "Saint Louis," also found in volume 19, on page 17, exemplifies the geographical entries, with a focus on industry and landmarks, accompanied by a brief historical note:

Saint Louis [sntl'uɪs], Stadt in Missouri, USA, auf dem rechten Ufer des Mississippi, 16 km unterhalb der Mündung des Missouri, (1976) 519 300 Ew. (davon 41% Neger; Metropolitan Area 2,384 Mio. Ew.), hat als Handels- und Industriestadt sowie als Verkehrsknoten (Eisenbahn, Binnenschiffahrt, Straße und Flughafen) überregionale Bedeutung; der ›Gateway Arch‹ im Gebiet der abgerissenen Altstadt (191 m hoch, aus rostfreiem Stahl, von Eero Saarinen, 1964 fertiggestellt) ist Symbol für die Rolle von S. L. als Tor zum Westen. S. L. ist Kulturzentrum mit Museen, Theater, Sinfonieorchester, 3 Univ.; kath. Erzbischofssitz; Wainwright Building (Stahlskelett-Hochhaus von L. H. Sullivan, 1890/91). Als einer der wichtigsten Flußhäfen der USA hat S. L. bed. Vieh-, Getreide-, Woll- und Holzhandel. Die Industrie erzeugt auf der Grundlage des Bergbaus der Umgebung Eisen, Blei, Zink, Kupfer, Aluminium und Magnesium, ferner Flugzeuge, Autos, Schuhe, Chemikalien, Textilien, Elektronik-Teile, Nahrungsmittel u.a. — 1764 als frz. Handelsniederlassung gegr. (nach Ludwig IX. von Frankreich benannt), kam S. L. 1803/04 an die USA und wurde bed. Zentrum des Pelzhandels und Ausgangspunkt für die Besiedlung des amerikan Westens.

Photo caption: Saint Louis: Das alte Gerichtsgebäude (1839-64 erbaut), dahinter der Gateway Arch Saint Louis: The Old Courthouse (built 1839-64), behind it the Gateway Arch.

Saint Louis, city in Missouri, USA, on the right-hand bank of the Mississippi, 16 km below the Missouri convergence, 1976 population 519 300 (of that, 41% black; metropolitan area 2.384 million residents). It has nationwide importance as a trade and industrial city as well as a transportation hub (railroad, inland shipping, highways and airport); the Gateway Arch in the area of the torn-down old city (191 m tall, completed in 1964, made out of stainless steel, by Eero Saarinen) is a symbol for St Louis's roll as the gateway to the west. St Louis is a center of culture, with museums, theater, a symphony orchestra, 3 universities, the seat of a catholic archdiocese, and the Wainwright building (steel-structure skyscraper by L. H. Sullivan, 1890-91). As one of the most important airports in the USA, St. Louis has meaningful trade in livestock, grains, wool, and lumber. The industry grew from the mining book in the area of iron, lead, zinc, copper, aluminum, and magnesium, in addition to airplanes, cars, shoes, chemicals, textiles, electronic components, foodstuffs, etc. — Founded in 1764 as a French trading settlement (named for Louis IX of France), St Louis became a part of the USA in 1803-4 and became an important center for the fur trade and departure point for the settlement of the American West.