The twelfth edition of the Diccionario de la lengua castellana, published in 1884, represents a milestone in the series of lexicographical works by the Real Academia Española. It was the result of an exhaustive review of the technique used, introducing changes that were maintained in subsequent editions. These innovations affected key aspects of the dictionary’s microstructure and redefined the architecture of the lexicographical article. This paper examines the transformations that took place in fundamental aspects: typographical conventions, the use of abbreviations, the adoption of more precise and uniform definition procedures, and the segmentation and order of meanings. This analysis provides an understanding of how the DRAE 1884 consolidated an article model that established a new way of organising information and presenting it according to the principles of modern lexicography, with the aim of achieving clarity, conciseness and uniformity

Abstract

The twelfth edition of the Diccionario de la lengua castellana, published in 1884, represents a milestone in the series of lexicographical works by the Real Academia Española. It was the result of an exhaustive review of the technique used, introducing changes that were maintained in subsequent editions. These innovations affected key aspects of the dictionary’s microstructure and redefined the architecture of the lexicographical article. This paper examines the transformations that took place in fundamental aspects: typographical conventions, the use of abbreviations, the adoption of more precise and uniform definition procedures, and the segmentation and order of meanings. This analysis provides an understanding of how the DRAE 1884 consolidated an article model that established a new way of organising information and presenting it according to the principles of modern lexicography, with the aim of achieving clarity, conciseness and uniformity.