What is CAL?
The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon (CAL) is a long‑running scholarly project that provides a searchable lexicon, text corpora, and bibliographic resources for Aramaic dialects spanning more than two millennia.
Note: CAL is continually updated; page designs are intentionally simple and fast.
Quick Start
Look up a word
- Open the Lexicon Browser: Lexicon.
- Use the alphabet bar or search box to jump to a lemma.
- Click a headword to view definition, morphology, and citations.
Search by English gloss
- Open English gloss search: englishnew.html.
- Enter an English gloss (e.g.,
water) to find matching Aramaic lemmas.
Find a textual citation
- Open the Citation Finder: citfinder.html.
- Choose a dialect and browse lexical citations from texts not yet fully digitized.
Common Workflows
1) From English → Aramaic lemma → attestations
- Start at English Gloss Search.
- Open candidate lemmas in the Lexicon.
- Within a lemma, scroll to citations and note abbreviations for sources.
- Follow links to text passages, where available.
2) Browse a text collection → navigate to passages → check lemmas
- Choose a corpus, or use one of the special browsers, e.g., Peshitta (OT & Apocrypha) or the Targum browser.
- Drill down to book → chapter → verse (where applicable).
- Click on words to open corresponding lexical entries or on text coordinate to see relevent comments and citations.
3) Build a bibliography around a lemma or text
- Open CAL Bibliographic Resources.
- Search by author, text, subject, or lexical item.
- Use the Bibliographic Abbreviations page to decode entries.
Browse Texts
Bibliography
CAL maintains curated bibliographic files. Start here: Bibliographic Resources.
- Search by author, text/subject, or lexical item.
- Recent-year snapshots and legacy addenda are provided on the same page.
- When reading entries, consult Bibliographic Abbreviations.
Abbreviations & Morphology Conventions
Bibliographic Abbreviations
Decode journal and series abbreviations used throughout CAL:
Lexical Analysis Codes
Part‑of‑speech tags and stems (e.g., V01=peal/G, N03=plural absolute):
Practical Tips
- Fonts:All modern browsers on both desktop and mobile devices should display all our fonts without difficulty. Let us know if you encounter a problem. Note that many pages offer options to change the way Semitic fonts are displayed.
- Views: Pages for choosing texts from various dialects offer a toggle (e.g., Roman, Syriac scripts, Hebrew) near the top left of the page.
- Navigation: Use the "JUMP TO" alphabet bar in the Lexicon Browser for faster jumps to headword ranges.
- Citation Finder: Useful for locating attestations in texts not yet fully digitized into the main corpora.
- Scope: CAL is broad and evolving; consult the project overview for coverage and status.
How to Cite CAL
When citing CAL entries or passages, include the project name, URL, the specific page or lemma consulted, and the access date. Example:
Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon (CAL), https://cal.huc.edu/, accessed 22 Aug 2025. Lexicon entry for <lemma>: <direct URL to entry>.
For grant reports or institutional documentation, also acknowledge Hebrew Union College (HUC).
Help & Support
- FAQs and project background: FAQ · About
- Email staff: to skaufman@huc.edu
- Volunteer & support notes (historical): CAL Newsletter