The paper presents fundamental achievements of the 18th century Polish lexicography: Nowy dykcjonarz (New Dictionary) by M.A. Troc and Nowy wielki dykcjonarz (New Great Dictionary) by P. Danet and D. Kola, in the context of contemporary research needs (especially those pertaining to historical linguistics) as well as the challenges faced by Polish lexicography (historical lexicography in particular). The primary objective is the identification of lexis comprised in both dictionaries – the linguistic material is reliable and representative of the status and condition of the Polish language of the day. A more profound insight into lexical structure, the analysis of word meanings along with the examination of the frequency of words in particu...