In 1547, the Welsh scholar William Salesbury published A Dictionary in Englyshe and Welshe in London, the first printed dictionary of the Welsh language. This bilingual work was intended to facilitate the acquisition of English by Welsh speakers and marked a significant step in the standardization and preservation of Welsh. Salesbury, who later translated the New Testament into Welsh, played a crucial role in promoting Welsh literacy and culture.

Salesbury's dictionary provided Welsh poets with a vital tool for navigating the increasingly English-dominated literary landscape, enabling them to continue composing in their native tongue while engaging with English literary forms. Its publication helped preserve the Welsh poetic tradition, which had deep roots in the bardic culture of the Middle Ages. The dictionary also influenced the development of Welsh orthography, ensuring that the language's rich poetic heritage could be accurately recorded and transmitted.