More than five years ago, I published a Vyavaharika Hindi-English Dictionary and stated in the preface that the purpose of this dictionary is to help writer, authors, and journalists, especially those whose mother tongue is not Hindi, to express themselves in the national language Hindi, on the arts, science and literature. That dictionary was soon out of print, but I refused to have it reprinted because the welcome accorded to that little dictionary emboldened me to start preparing a complete Hindi-English Dictionary of synonyms.
A synonym, in this dictionary will always mean one of two or more words in the Hindi language which have the same or very nearly the same essential meaning. Synonyms, therefore, are only such words as may be defined wholly or almost wholly, in the same terms. Usually, they are distinguished from one another by an added implication or connotation, or they may differ in their idiomatic use or in their application.
The main design of this Dictionary is to provide a ready means of assistance when one is at a loss for a word or an expression that best suits a particular turn of thought or mood of the mind, or that may obviate an ungraceful repetition. Even skilful and practised writers are sometimes embarrassed in the endeavour to make a sentence clearer and simpler by the substitution of one word for another. It is presumed that authors, writers, teachers and students, as well as novices will find the present Dictionary useful in overcoming difficulties of this sort.
Whenever a doubt arises in regard to the fitness of any word, and a better one is not readily suggested, let the writer turn to this word in its alphabetical place in Hindi. Under it will be found the words and clew to the words, which in any connection, have the same meaning as itself or a meaning very nearly the same. This dictionary will give the exact shade of the oughts in the writer's mind.
In this dictionary all the words that belong to any group will be found in that group with several synonyms. The aim has been to present at a single glance the words or modes of speech which denote the same object or which express the same general idea, with only slight shades of difference.
The various meanings of the Hindi words are made clear by additional indications in brackets and are immediately followed by the English equivalents. Different shades of meaning are separated by a semi-colon. The meanings are normally numbered; where this was deemed superfluous the different meanings are separated by a semi-colon.
In the choice of Hindi words and their meaning I have relied on Haridev Bahar's Brihad Hindi Kosh; Satyapal Gupta's Abhinav Paryavachi Kosh, Bola Nath Tiwari's Brihad Paryavachi Kosh; Kalika Prasad's Brihad Hindi Kosh and various other dictionaries, among which the excellent Tri-Bhasha Kosh (Central Hindi Directorate) takes pride of place. For the English words and their equivalents, I have been guided by Raghuvir's comprehensive English-Hindi Dictionary; C. Bulcke's an English Hindi Dictionary, Charle's Platt's Dictionary of synonyms and Antonyms; Soule's Dictionary of synonyms; Roget's Dictionary of synonyms and Webster's Dictionary of synonyms.
It gives me great pleasure to acknowledge the assistance I have received from various authorities, who have afforded valuable suggestions and those whose works have help me to draw inspiration. Omission if any was not deliberate.
Special mention may be made to great Hindi author and scholar Shri Vishnu Parabhakar, Dr. Darmendra Gupta and Dr. Roop Singh Chandel, who never tired of answering my endless queries.
I have also to mention my deep love to my beloved novelist wife Mina, who shared the challenge of rethinking and reworking on the manuscript. My affectionate and loving daughters Dr. (Mrs.) Nivedita Kar, a linguist and Km. Sunandita M.A. for their unending help throughout the preparation of this dictionary. My deepest love, intellectual and personal are to them.
I am also highly grateful to my friend Shri. B.P. Garg, Managing Director, Gyan Publishing House for excellent publication of this dictionary.
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