Dozy, considered one of the most learned Dutch Arabists in history, produced a repository of knowledge in his supplemental dictionary. This two-volume tower of learning includes more than French definitions of Arabic words; it is a wealth of information on Arabic custom and lore. Intended as a supplement to E. W. Lane’s An Arabic-English Lexicon, this dictionary contains the distinctive insights of Dozy, a widely traveled and acute scholar. This massive lexicon is often treated as a full dictionary in its own right, but it justly stands as one of the monuments written by Dozy bringing the culture of the Arabic world to western scholars.

Reinhart Pieter Anne Dozy (1820-1883) was a famed Dutch scholar of Arabic studies. A prodigious writer, he produced many significant works that are still cited consistently. He was a professor at the University of Leiden.