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Noah Webster's 1828 American Dictionary

May 26, 2012

Project::Noah

In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government ought to be instructed... No truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people.

Preface to 1828 Dictionary

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(5) Words.

commence
commenced
commencement
recommence
recommenced

Webster

KJV

To be ...

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1828 Definition

COMMENCE, v.i.

1. To begin; to take rise or origin; to have first existence; as, a state of glory to commence after this life; this empire commenced at a late period.

2. To begin to be, as in a change of character.

Let not learning too commence its foe.

3. To take a degree or the first degree in a university or college.

COMMENCE, v.t.

1. To begin; to enter upon; to perform the first act; as, to commence operations.

2. To begin; to originate; to bring; as, to commence a suit, action or process in law.

1913 Definition

Commence (commence)
v. i.	(?)
Com*mence"
[imp. ** p. p.* Commenced (?)] p. pr. ** vb. n.* Commencing.] [F. commencer, OF. comencier, fr. L. com- + initiare to begin. See Initiate.]

To have a beginning or origin] to originate; to start; to begin.

Here the anthem doth commence.
Shak.

His heaven commences ere the world be past.
Goldsmith.

To begin to be, or to act as.

[Archaic]

We commence judges ourselves.
Coleridge.

To take a degree at a university.

[Eng.]

I question whether the formality of commencing was used in that age.
Fuller.

To enter upon; to begin; to perform the first act of.

Many a wooer doth commence his suit.
Shak.

* It is the practice of good writers to use the verbal noun (instead of the infinitive with to) after commence; as, he commenced studying, not he commenced to study.

Noah Says...

In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government ought to be instructed.

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Project::Noah

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The foundation for American Heritage Access [AHA] strives to capture the essence of American culture with an intent to make early American manuscripts accessible to modern society. We believe that the successful future of this country is dependent on honoring and respecting its past. In order to achieve this ideal, several projects will be introduced and executed. The first initiatives of Project::Noah will involve the accessibility of the 1828 American dictionary.

Vision::Reprint

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The first vision, Vision::Reprint, has an intent to make a modern printing of the first dictionary of the American language available to the public for under $25. The first task, Task::Access, involves the digitizing of the original 1828 dictionary. The dictionary is available in microfilm (American Culture Series, Reel 335.6-336.1, Michigan University Microfilms) at many universities. To digitize the microfilm as a batch process requires a special scanner.

Vision::Redesign

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The second vision, Vision::Redesign, has an intent to improve the current online accessibility to the 1828 dictionary. Beyond the Task::XML, other tasks related to this Vision::Redesign include identifying features and functionality for this new website. In addition, plugins will be discussed and created to make the dictionary accessible in other ways: iPhone, Google widget, Firefox Add-on, etc.

Vision::Recapture

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The third vision, Vision::Recapture, has an intent to evoke the importance of Noah Webster in our American Heritage. This vision will manifest itself in a commissioned painting of Noah Webster. The process involved will require the input from concerned Americans. The final commission painting will be derived from initial sketches and digital compositions. Feedback from the community is essential for this vision's success throughout the entire process.

May 26, 2012