Compilation Techniques and Components of the Entries of Meftah al-Fozala

Meftah al-Fozala , is one of the oldest examples of the early Persian lexicography, which was mainly compiled in the Indian subcontinent in 873 AH/1468-9 by Mohammad ibn Davud ibn Mohammad ibn Mahmud Shadi-Ābadi. In this article, the compilation methods and techniques used in Meftah al-Fozala are discussed, and also the constituting components of the entries, such as headwords, definitions, illustrative examples, grammatical information, etc., are analyzed. For studying the variety of headwords, the whole book was analyzed, but for the statistical analysis, the method of simple random selection of pages was used. Therefore, ten percent of the dictionary, that is five hundred and thirty-two entries from different sections were analyzed. The results show that the variety of the headwords of Meftah al-Fozala remained mainly unchanged in comparison to the previous dictionaries of the same period. But its entries include new components, like pronunciation, non-Persian equivalents, vernacular terms, and references to the sources, consequently, the entries of this dictionary are longer and more comprehensive. Some of the entries of Meftah al-Fozala are very similar to the same entries in Lesan al-Shoʻara and Farhang-e Zafan-e Guya . Comparing these dictionaries makes it possible to find out which parts were compiled by Shadi-Ābadi himself and what was gathered from the mentioned dictionaries.