DUNASH BEN LABRAT (IBN LABRAT, DUNASH)

(c. 920-990 BCE)

   Iraqi Hebrew poet and grammarian. He was born in Baghdad, studied at Fez, and later settled in Cordoba. He applied Arabic forms of Hebrew to poetry and laid the foundation for medieval Hebrew poetry. He wrote 200 criticisms of Menahem ben Saruk's dictionary, the Mahberet. This led to a controversy which influenced the development of Hebrew philology and grammar.