Menahem ibn Saruq

10th century Hebrew grammarian and poet, author of the "Machberet", an early dictionary of the Hebrew language. He served as assistant to the statesman Chasdai ibn Shaprut of Cordoba, at whose request he compiled the dictionary. However, not everyone agreed with his linguistics. Chief among his opponents was the philologist Dunash ben Labrat, who wrote an extensive criticism of Menachem's work. However, the Machberet did not lose its authority and is quoted frequently some 200 years later by such luminaries as Rashi and Rabbenu Tam.