Read the sentence from Samuel Johnson’s preface to A Dictionary of the English Language.

And such is the fate of hapless lexicography, that not only darkness, but light, impedes and distresses it; things may be not only too little, but too much known, to be happily illustrated.

What is the best definition of the underlined word as it is used in the sentence?

Your question is incomplete because you have not provided the underlined word or the answer options, which are:

Underlined word: hapless

Answer options:

unlucky or unfortunate; pitiable

unknown or unfamiliar; mysterious

without intelligence; foolish

without tenderness; harsh

unlucky or unfortunate; pitiable

Explanation:

The adjective hapless means unfortunate. In the excerpt, the author makes reference to lexicography, which is the act of compiling dictionaries. In that respects, he mentions that it is difficult and exhausting to describe things that are widely known but also those which are very little known.

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