An English-Dhivehi dictionary compiled by former Maldives National University (MNU) chancellor Dr Hassan Hameed was launched last evening.

The 1,992-page "Ingireysi-Dhivehi Basfoiy", unveiled at a special ceremony at MNU, is the largest single-volume book ever published in the Dhivehi language. It contains Dhivehi meanings for more than 120,000 English words.

Speaking at the launch, former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom described the dictionary as a “precious treasure” left by Dr Hassan for the Dhivehi language. He said dictionaries play an important role in nation-building, the advancement of civilization and the spread of knowledge.

Praising Dr Hassan's efforts to promote higher education during his tenure at MNU, Gayoom described him as a true scholar.

The dictionary goes beyond providing straightforward translations. It includes the pronunciation of English words in Thaana, their meanings and usage, and metaphorical meanings. Dr Hassan consulted major English dictionaries, including Oxford, Cambridge, Collins, Macmillan and Webster, to provide accessible interpretations.

The project began 20 years ago when Dr Hassan started publishing the meanings of English words beginning with the letter A in Dharuma magazine in 2005. The response from readers led to the idea of compiling a complete dictionary.

Dr Hassan began working on the full dictionary about eight years ago. In recent days, he has also published some of the entries online.

He plans to publish several editions of the dictionary and make it available online through a dedicated website.

Dr Hassan oversaw not only the writing of the dictionary but also its typing, layout, cover design and proofreading. Former education minister Dr Aishath Ali proofread the other half of the book.

Since leaving MNU, Dr Hassan has continued to contribute to the development of the Dhivehi language. His work includes translating Persian poet Saadi Shirazi’s Gulistan into Dhivehi and creating Dhivehi fonts that he has made freely available to the public.

Describing the achievement, Dr Hassan said the book gave him “more academic prestige than a couple of PhDs”.

The dictionary will be available in bookshops soon.