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Aurelio Buarque de Holanda Ferreira; Brazilian Dictionary King

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Aurelio Buarque de Holanda Ferreira, 78, the Brazilian whose name became synonymous with the word dictionary in the Portuguese-speaking world. His dictionary sold 6 million copies in Brazil, an all-time record in Brazilian publishing, while the word “Aurelio” has become synonymous with dictionary. “Making dictionaries is like chasing butterflies,” he once said. “The words fly and you have to catch them in the air.” In Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday of complications of Parkinson’s disease.

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