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Frank Horace Vizetelly

1864 – 1938

English lexicographer

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About Frank Horace Vizetelly

Lived 1864 – 1938 (aged 73–74). Frank Horace Vizetelly was a lexicographer, linguist, author, etymologist and editor.

Francis Horace Vizetelly (2 April 1864 – 20 December 1938) was an English-American lexicographer, etymologist, and editor.

Life Vizetelly was born in England, United Kingdom, the only son of Henry Vizetelly and his second wife, Elizabeth Anne Ansell. His half-brother was Ernest Alfred Vizetelly (1853–1922). After an education in France and England, he joined his father's publishing house in 1882; the firm and his father were eventually ruined by convictions for obscenity resulting from the publication of the novels of Émile Zola.

He moved to New York in 1891, eventually becoming naturalized as a citizen of the United States. The publishers Funk & Wagnalls employed him along with Calvin Thomas, beginning on the Isaac K. Funk's editorial staff compiling A Standard Dictionary of the English Language. He continued to act as an editor for the firm's dictionaries and encyclopedia, and had a column in their Literary Digest known as "The Lexicographer's Easy Chair."

A Desk-Book of Errors in English authored by Frank H. Vizetelly

He died in 1938, being interred at New York's Woodlawn Cemetery.

Works Vizetelly was the author of more than 200 works, which touched upon the broad range of subjects, from the humanities to sciences, revealing his intellectual prowess. However, his abiding interest was in literary and lexical fields, and he was frequently engaged in determining the origins and emergence of words in the English language.

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Important facts

Born
1864, London
Birth century
Died
1938, New York City
Employers
Funk & Wagnalls
Also known as
Frank H. Vizetelly, Francis Vizitelly

People in Frank Horace Vizetelly's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Frank Horace Vizetelly's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Frank Horace Vizetelly?

English lexicographer

When was Frank Horace Vizetelly born?

Frank Horace Vizetelly was born in 1864 in London.

When did Frank Horace Vizetelly die?

Frank Horace Vizetelly died in 1938 in New York City.

What was Frank Horace Vizetelly's occupation?

Frank Horace Vizetelly was a lexicographer, linguist, author, etymologist and editor.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Frank Horace Vizetelly

· Wikidata: Q5487315

· DBpedia: Frank Horace Vizetelly

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Frank Horace Vizetelly. https://biography.guide/frank-horace-vizetelly/

MLA: "Frank Horace Vizetelly." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/frank-horace-vizetelly/.

Chicago: "Frank Horace Vizetelly." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/frank-horace-vizetelly/.

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