Berria.info
A dictionary for Basques that is ‘comprehensive, general and for everyone’

The Royal Academy of the Basque Language presented the final volume that completes the collection of the ‘Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia’

Gotzon Hermosilla – BILBO (Bilbao)

A treasure with 125,987 precious stones, or entries. Sixteen volumes, 14,028 pages, the result of 21 years of quiet, devoted work. It is a remarkable legacy of words gathered from all the dialects of Basque and from all classical writers. The Royal Academy of the Basque Language Euskaltzaindia presented the 16th volume of the Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia (General Basque Dictionary) yesterday. So the colossal work that gathers together all the words in the Basque Language is now complete. It is “comprehensive, general and for everyone”, said Andres Urrutia, the Academy’s Chairman.

The project was started by Koldo Mitxelena and brought to completion by Ibon Sarasola. “A work of infrastructure”, was how Sarasola described the General Basque Dictionary, “made in the form of a dictionary but something which is infinitely more than just an ordinary dictionary”.