A Dictionary of the New Zealand Language: To which is added a Selection of Colloquial Sentences

William Williams’s A Dictionary of the New Zealand Language To Which Is Added a Selection of Colloquial Sentences (first published 1844) is the foundational Māori–English lexicon compiled by an early missionary. It provides over 5,500 Māori entries with English definitions, grammatical notes, and illustrative colloquial phrases, drawing on church, conversational, and regional usage. Revised through multiple editions (including 1852’s concise grammar) and updated by his descendants in 1871 and 1892, it remained the definitive Māori reference well into the 20th century. Its enduring impact spans linguistic scholarship, translation, and cultural preservation.