A Sinhalese-English Dictionary

About the Book:- The largest selling English-Sinhalese dictionary. This has been constantly revised by eminent scholars. The latest 5th edition was published in 2010 and over 20,000 new words have been added. Rev Charles Carter, compiler of this dictionary, arrived in Ceylon, as a Missionary of the Baptist Missionary Society, in 1853. He set himself at once to acquire a knowledge of the language, in which he made rapid progress, and was able to preach his first sermon in Sinhalese at Biyanwila four months after arrival. During his Missionary career he attained such a command of the language as has been rarely or ever equaled by Europeans. His English-Sinhalese Dictionary is the best of its kind and is in general use. He is the author of various works for the acquisition of the language; Sinhalese verbs reduced to conjugations; and a grammar book. His aim in all these labors has been service to Ceylon. The author, who commenced the work in 1892, has put into the compilation what would equal ten years' consecutive labour. The manuscript has been subjected to the scrutiny of competent Sinhalese scholars, who contributed valuable suggestions and corrected the work at the press, The omission of Romanised characters after the Sinhalese word will, we hope, be met to some extent by the alphabet at the beginning, for those who are unacquainted with the Sinhalese characters. To the definition in English of classical Sinhalese words not in ordinary use, there is added the ordinary Sinhalese word, making it useful to the Sinhalese reader, as well as supplying the English reader with the best word for ordinary use, at the same time showing that the word defined is not the ordinary word. “The work is much fuller and more valuable than any other Dictionary of the language yet published, and will supply to a great extent they want of a good Dictionary much felt at present.”