Craigie, Sir William A.

Craigie, Sir William A., 1867–1957, British lexicographer, b. Dundee, Scotland. Educated at the Univ. of St. Andrews, Craigie studied Scandinavian languages at Copenhagen before beginning in 1893 his career as lecturer at St. Andrews and as lecturer and professor at Oxford. Generally considered the foremost lexicographer of his time, he was engaged on the New English Dictionary (commonly called the Oxford Dictionary) after 1897 and was joint editor from 1901 to 1933. Craigie was persuaded to come to the United States and was the chief editor of A Dictionary of American English on Historical Principles (issued in parts after 1936; published as 4 vol., 1938–43). He also edited other dictionaries, made critical editions of texts, and wrote monographs and textbooks on the English language.