The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia: The Century dictionary ... prepared under the superintendence of William Dwight Whitney ... rev. & enl. under the superintendence of Benjamin E. Smith

The Century Dictionary was first published between 1889 and 1891, conceived as an ambitious American response to the limitations of existing lexicographical works. Under the editorial leadership of William Dwight Whitney, a prominent linguist at Yale, the project aimed to provide a comprehensive, encyclopedic record of the English language that incorporated scientific terminology and etymological depth. It was produced by The Century Company of New York, which sought to establish a standard of scholarly rigor that would rival the Oxford English Dictionary.

Following the initial success of the publication, the work was revised and expanded under the superintendence of Benjamin E. Smith, eventually forming the multi-volume Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia. The design prioritized legibility and extensive illustration, with thousands of precise wood engravings created to clarify technical terms. Upon its release, the dictionary was widely praised by the academic community for its innovation and remains a significant artifact of late 19th-century American intellectual history.