Félix Gaffiot

[1] Having attained a Bachelor of Science and Letters, he was reluctant to prepare for the entrance examination to the École Polytechnique, and eventually undertook an arts degree.

His work was interrupted by the outbreak of World War I in 1914 and his subsequent mobilisation as an auxiliary medical officer[2] in the Forest of Argonne.

Following disputes with his colleagues, Gaffiot left the Sorbonne in 1927, even though he was about to be granted tenure; he found a new position for himself at the University of Besançon.

Gaffiot died in November 1937 — less than a month after the official date of his retirement — following a car crash on 31 October[4] near Mouchard.

The dictionary stands out on account of its illustrations and the clearness of its typography and, since it first appeared, has been regularly reprinted, in both complete and abridged editions.