Nathan Bailey (d. June 27, 1742) was an English philologist and lexicographer. His "Dictionarium Britannicum: or a more compleat 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. Wikipedia
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