Nathan Bailey

Nathaniel Bailey (died June 27, 1742) was an English philologist and lexicographer.

His Dictionarium Britannicum: or a more complete universal etymological English dictionary than any extant (1730) formed the basis of Dr Johnson's great work.

Bailey's An Universal Etymological English Dictionary was, from its publication in 1721, the most popular dictionary of the 18th century, and went through nearly thirty editions. It was the second to be written by a professional lexicographer, John Kersey the Younger's A New English Dictionary being the first.

Prior to the works of Kersey and Bailey, most dictionaries focused on much shorter lists (eg. of 'hard words') or were bilingual in nature.

Bailey, who was a Seventh Day Baptist (admitted 1691), had a school at Stepney, and was also the author of several other educational works.