vocabularianadj.n.
/və(ʊ)ˌkabjᵿˈlɛːrɪən/, U.S. /voʊˌkæbjəˈlɛriən/, /vəˌkæbjəˈlɛriən/ Somewhat rare.
A. adj.† 1. Of a translation: excessively literal, word-for-word. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1819 E. Williams Prospectus Coll. New Hist. Wales in E. Waring Recoll. & Anecd. (1850) 179 Uncrippled and distorted by such vocabularian translations..as some have given of ancient Welsh writings.
1862 Brit. Controversialist 3rd Ser. 322 No mere vocabularian translation of Hegel's works will give any idea of their exceeding wealth of thought.
2. Of or relating to words or vocabulary.
ΚΠ
1869 Meliora 12 44 This plentifulness of vocabularian distinctions, reaching from the first tremulous overpush of the balance of the faculties in fresh to their complete obliteration in dead-drunk.
1918 Republic County (Kansas) Democrat 11 Dec. For a time the intellectuals will seize madly upon a word, use it until it is threadbare and then toss it into the vocabularian ragbag.
1997 Sydney Morning Herald (Nexis) 24 May 12 She would demand substitutes for the adjective ‘nice’, in her view another example of vocabularian laziness.
B. n.
A person considered in regard to the size or impressiveness of his or her vocabulary; a wordsmith.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > ornateness > [noun] > wordmongering > one who
wordmonger1590
lettermonger1592
parolist1604
logodaedalus1611
word-pecker1649
vocabularian1899
1899 Pall Mall Gaz. 20 July 4/1 He is not a vocabularian; he uses, as none but a poet can, the old poetic materials.
1908 Mixer & Server 15 June 43/2 Ex-Representative Sheehan seems to have that happy faculty of making good as a vocabularian on every occasion.
1925 S. Sassoon (title) Lingual exercises for advanced vocabularians.
2004 Guardian (Nexis) 11 Dec. 4 Learning five new words per day will put you in the top 1% of vocabularians within a year.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2018; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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adj.n.1819