Contrary to the general opinion that the first Romanian encyclopaedic works was written in the middle of the 19th century, this study claims that there were earlier lexicographic works with important encyclopaedic features. This assertion is based on research done in the manuscript collection of the Romanian Academy Library, namely the Cluj branch.
Teodor Corbea's Latin-Romanian dictionary is a work which goes beyond lexical equivalences. It contains entries which are preponderently encyclopaedic. The dictionary dates from the end of the 17th century; its author has a Renaissance cultural horizon.