H
About
Hans Wehr (1909-1981) was a German orientalist and Arabic lexicographer, and a professor at the University of Munster, Germany. His magnum opus, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, was first published in German in 1952 as Arabisches Worterbuch fur die Schriftsprache der Gegenwart, then translated and expanded into English with the editorial assistance of J. Milton Cowan, appearing through Cornell University Press and later Spoken Language Services. Revised through a definitive fourth edition in 1979, the dictionary covers modern literary Arabic with attention to classical roots and contemporary usage. It remains the most widely used Arabic-English dictionary in Western academic and seminary settings. Wehr's work was produced under the auspices of the Deutsche Morgenlandische Gesellschaft (German Oriental Society) and has been an essential resource for Arabic learners for over seven decades.
