After five years' patient, unwearied and devoted reading and marking of books published in Marathi, during the last fifty years, especially those pertaining to Western Science, Art and Games and after frequent consultation with many distinguished graduates in Arts, Science, Law, Medicine and Engineering, with a few School of Marathi and also with some practical workmen such as Carpenters Fitters and Mechanical Engineers, the Editor is now able to bring out this first part of one hundred and twenty pages of the Twentieth Century English-Marathi Dictionary. This new title is assumed not with a view to attracting attention, nor with a view to indulging in novelty but with that of bringing into bold relief the up-to-date character of the work, revealing the state of the Marathi language in the beginning of this New Century, its amplification and its enrichment from the early sixties of the last century to the beginning of the present one. In other words, the Editor wants to make his work an up to date one, recording the progress of the Marathi-speaking people in the many New Science Art and Games, introduced into this country by enlightened British rule during the latter half of the last Century.
In undertaking the present work, the Editor has two principal objects in view. The first object is to ascertain, sift and fix, so far as the present state of the Marathi language is concerned, the renderings of English words found at present in the existing English-Marathi Dictionaries. The second object is to supply a comprehensive scientific terminology in Marathi, which will be adequate for the purpose of bringing into it valuable stores of knowledge from Western Science, Art and Games.
To secure the first object, the work is based upon the results of the latest Philological and Linguistic researches embodied in Dr. J. A. H. Murray's epoch-marking work "A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles founded mainly on the materials collected by the Philological Society of England." Other standard works such as Webster, Earle's Philology of the English Language, Brewers Dictionary of Phrase and Fable Keating's Medical Dictionary, Hoblyn's Medical Dictionary, W. G Cordingly's Commercial Dictionary, Skeat's Etymological Dictionary, Buchanan's Dictionary of Scientific terms, Smith's Dictionary of Synonyms, Morris' Historical Outlines of English Accidence Dictionary of Law terms, Max Müller's Chips from a German Workshop, Giles: Introduction to Philology. Kine. don's Latin Grammar, &c., &c. have often been consulted with a view to ascertaining the correct meaning of each word as given in the existing English Marathi Dictionaries. A complete list of such works will be given in the general preface.
To secure the second object, the Editor has made the best possible use of the learned labours of Candy and Molesworth as embodied in their monumental works and of the Marathi Dictionary oom piled by a body of learned Shastrees. These three works will always be the basis for future Énglish Marathi lexicographers. Viewed in the light of their being pioneer efforts in this direction they are no doubt excellent works; and the prevent work is, in a great measure, indebted to them. Further. the Editor has made the best possible use of the works in Marathi published during the last. fifty years by about a hundred scholars on a variety of subjects ; such as, -Higher Mathematics, Geology, Medicine, Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Phrenology, Palmistry, Astrology, Astronomy, History, Law, Commerce, Cricket, Tennis, &c. &o. A categorical statement of these works with their authors will be included in the general preface to the whole work.
{{text-indent|2em|In order to make this work as perfect as possible, the Editor often had to turn over the papers of old Sanskrit works on some of the subjects mentioned above such as--Astronomy, Medicine, Astrology, Philosophy, Mathematics and Law. In those departments of Sanskrit literature where the efforts of the Editor could not reach, he received invaluable help from Prof. H. M. Bhadkamkar B.A., M. R.
