Florio, John

Florio, John

▪ English lexicographer
also called  Giovanni Florio  
born c. 1553, London
died c. 1625, Fulham, near London
 English lexicographer and translator of Montaigne.

      Son of a Protestant refugee of Tuscan origin, Florio studied at Oxford. From 1604 to 1619 Florio was groom of the privy chamber to Queen Anne.

      In 1580 he translated, as Navigations and Discoveries (1580), Giovanni Battista Ramusio's account of the voyages of Jacques Cartier. Florio His Firste Fruites (1578), a grammar and a series of dialogues in Italian and English, was followed in 1591 by Florio's Second Frutes and by Giardino di ricreatione, a collection of more than 6,000 proverbs in Italian. His Italian-English dictionary, A Worlde of Wordes (1598), for which he drew heavily upon the works of Giordano Bruno, contains about 46,000 definitions. The second edition, Queen Anna's New World of Words (1611), was greatly enlarged.

      In 1603 Florio produced his major translation, the Essais of Michel de Montaigne, which he revised in 1613. The freedom of this version is questionable by modern standards of accuracy, and the style is elaborate where Montaigne is subtle and terse, but the book is nevertheless thoroughly good reading.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • FLORIO, John — (c. 1553 1625) John Florio, a scholar and linguist, is known primarily for his translation of Michel de Montaigne s* Essais and for his affiliation with the circle of the earl of Southampton, William Shakespeare s* patron. Florio was the son of… …   Renaissance and Reformation 1500-1620: A Biographical Dictionary

  • Florio,John — Flo·ri·o (flôrʹē ō , flōrʹ ), John. 1553? 1625. English lexicographer noted for his Italian English dictionary (1598) and his translations of Montaigne s essays (1603). * * * …   Universalium

  • Florio, John — (ca. 1553 1625)    English author and teacher, best known for his Italian English dictionary, A World of Words (1598) and for his translations, notably the essays of Michel de Montaigne. He was born in London to a family of refugee Italian… …   Historical Dictionary of Renaissance

  • FLORIO, JOHN —    the translator of Montaigne, born in London, of Italian parents; was a tutor of foreign languages for some years at Oxford, and in 1581 became a member of Magdalen College and teacher of French and Italian; published two works of a… …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

  • Florio, John — (1553? 1625)    Translator, s. of an Italian preacher, exiled for his Protestantism, but who appears to have lost credit owing to misconduct, b. in London, was, about 1576, a private tutor of languages at Oxf. In 1581 he was admitted a member of… …   Short biographical dictionary of English literature

  • John Florio — John Florio. John Florio (* 1553 in London; † 1625 in Fulham in London), italienisch Giovanni Florio, war ein englischer Übersetzer (von Montaigne) und Gelehrter der Elisabethanischen Zeit. Er war Sprachlehrer am Hof von Jakob I. und… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • John Florio — John Florio, grabado por William Hole de la 2ª edición del Diccionario de Florio. John Florio, (1553 1625) fue un lexicógrafo y lingüista inglés famoso por sus traducciones de los Ensayos de Michel de Montaigne al inglés, así como por haber sido… …   Wikipedia Español

  • John Florio — (1553 1625), known in Italian as Giovanni Florio, was an accomplished linguist and lexicographer, a royal language tutor at the Court of James I, a probable close friend and influence on William Shakespeare. He was also the translator of… …   Wikipedia

  • Florio (disambiguation) — Florio may refer to:* James Florio (born 1937), 49th Governor of New Jersey * John Florio (1553 1625), accomplished linguist and lexicographer * Florio is the surname of a prominent Sicilian family, including ** Vincenzo Florio (1883 1959),… …   Wikipedia

  • John J. Degnan — (born October 6, 1944, West Orange, New Jersey) was the Attorney General of New Jersey from 1978 until 1981. He is currently vice chairman and chief operating officer of The Chubb Corporation.Degnan attended Our Lady of Lourdes Grammar School in… …   Wikipedia

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