The Concise Dictionary of Medieval Vernacular Greek (1100–1669) constitutes a four-volume abridgement of Emmanouel Kriaras’ multivolume Dictionary of Medieval Greek Vernacular Literature (1100–1669). Derived from the original Greek edition published by the Centre for the Greek Language, the present work—prepared in collaboration with De Gruyter Brill—seeks to furnish a systematic and reliable account of the principal vocabulary of Medieval and Early Modern Greek, as attested in vernacular texts from the twelfth to the seventeenth century.
Kriaras’ dictionary stands as a landmark in Greek lexicography and historical linguistics, drawing upon an extensive corpus of literary and non-literary sources to document the lexical wealth of the medieval vernacular. Its detailed semantic analyses, textual attestations, and elucidation of historical development render it an indispensable instrument of specialized philological inquiry. The present abridgement has been conceived as a more accessible companion: while preserving the scholarly character of the original, it offers a selective and condensed presentation of entries, limits illustrative material to what is strictly necessary, and emphasizes primary meanings. It is not intended to supplant the full dictionary, but rather to serve as an initial point of reference for the study of medieval Greek texts.
The methodological principles and lexicographical norms of the original work—set forth by I. N. Kazazis in the introduction to the Greek abridged edition—have been faithfully maintained. Such continuity extends to the selection and disposition of entries, the employment of representative citations, and the inclusion of essential semantic distinctions together with concise etymological observations.
The dictionary is designed chiefly for use in teaching, introductory research, and translation, while at the same time offering advanced users a convenient means of rapid consultation alongside the complete edition. It further contributes to the study of the diachronic development of Greek, as it records forms and meanings characteristic of the medieval vernacular and thereby illuminates processes of linguistic continuity and change linking Postclassical Greek with later stages, as well as phenomena arising from the contact of Greek with other languages.
This edition is addressed to students, teachers, translators, and researchers, as well as to a wider readership with an interest in Medieval Greek language and literature. It also supports the study of the historical grammar of Greek, particularly when used in conjunction with major reference works such as E. Trapp et al., Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität (1994–2017), and D. Holton et al., The Cambridge Grammar of Medieval and Early Modern Greek (2019).
The editors wish to record their gratitude to the Board of Directors of the Centre for the Greek Language for their continued support, including the provision of funding and the facilitation of the translation of the original work into English. They further acknowledge, with thanks, the collaboration of De Gruyter Brill, in particular Mirjam Elbers (Senior Acquisitions Editor, Classical Studies), David van Eijndhoven (Project Manager, Major Reference Works), and Ino Kormakopoulou (Project Manager, Digital Products Operations). Gratitude is likewise due to the translators—Dr Ela Harrison, Prof. Christos Simelidis, and Prof. Dimitris Skrekas—and to Akhilleas Valetopoulos for overseeing the upload of a substantial portion of the text to the electronic platform. Ela Harrison further served as copy editor of the volume and, together with Christos Simelidis and David van Eijndhoven, prepared the list of abbreviations and the bibliographical references.
Thessaloniki, April 2026
The Editors
