About
Émile Littré, born in Paris in 1801, was a French lexicographer, philosopher, and politician. Trained as a physician, he devoted himself to lexicography and published his famous Dictionnaire de la langue française (1863-1873), the result of nearly thirty years of work. A disciple of Auguste Comte, he popularized positivism. A committed republican, he took part in the revolutions of 1830 and 1848, and became a deputy and then a senator. He translated Hippocrates and Pliny the Elder. Elected to the Académie française in 1871, he died in 1881 after receiving Catholic baptism.
* 1801-02-01 — † 1881-06-02
Major works
- Dictionnaire de la langue française (1863-1873)dictionary
- Œuvres complètes d'Hippocrate (1839-1862)translation
- Paroles de philosophie positive (1859)essay
- Auguste Comte et la philosophie positive (1863)essay
Key milestones
- 1839Elected to the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres.
- 1871Elected to the Académie française, causing the resignation of Bishop Dupanloup.
- 1875Appointed senator for life.
Themes
lexicographypositivismrepublicanismtranslationmedicine
Sources: larousse.fr · britannica.com