Chuon Nath (1883–1969) was a Cambodian Buddhist monk who became the Supreme Patriarch of Cambodia. He is best known for helping to preserve the Khmer language by creating the first modern Khmer dictionary.
He was born in Kampong Speu Province. At 12 he entered the temple to study, became a novice monk in 1897, and was fully ordained in 1904. He excelled in Pali exams and became a professor in Phnom Penh. Later he studied Sanskrit in Hanoi.
When Cambodia was under French influence, Chuon Nath worked to keep the Khmer language strong. He promoted "Khmerization": creating new Khmer words from the language's roots in Pali and Sanskrit instead of borrowing from French. For example, he coined the Khmer word for "train" (អយស្ម័យយាន) from Sanskrit words meaning "metal" and "vehicle." He led the committee that produced the first edition of the Khmer dictionary in 1938. He also translated the Buddhist Pali canon into Khmer and wrote Cambodia's national anthem, "Nokor Reach." His ashes rest at Wat Ounalom in Phnom Penh.
This tool uses the Chuon Nath 2.0 edition of the dictionary.