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Noah Webster's 1828 American Dictionary

February 6, 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.

defile
defiled
defilement
defiler
undefiled

Webster

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1828 Definition

DEFILE, v.t.

1. To make unclean; to render foul or dirty; in a general sense.

2. To make impure; to render turbid; as, the water or liquor is defiled.

3. To soil or sully; to tarnish; as reputation, &c.

He is among the greatest prelates of the age, however his character may be defiled by dirty hands.

They shall defile thy brightness. Ezek. 28.

4. To pollute; to make ceremonially unclean.

That which dieth of itself, he shall not eat, to defile himself therewith. Lev. 22.

5. To corrupt chastity; to debauch; to violate; to tarnish the purity of character by lewdness.

Schechem defiled Dinah. Gen. 34.

6. To taint, in a moral sense; to corrupt; to vitiate; to render impure with sin.

Defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt. Ezek. 20.

He hath defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. Numb. 19.

DEFILE, v.i. [L. A thread.] To march off in a line, or file by file; to file off.

DEFILE, n. A narrow passage or way, in which troops may march only in a file, or with a narrow front; a long narrow pass, as between hills, &c.

1913 Definition

Defile (defile)
v. i.	(df**imacr]l")
De*file"
[imp. ** p. p.* Defiled (-f&imacr]ld"); p. pr. ** vb. n.* Defiling.] [F. dé]filer; pref. dé-, for des- (L. dis-) + file a row or line. See <

To march off in a line, file by file; to file off.

Same as Defilade.

Any narrow passage or gorge in which troops can march only in a file, or with a narrow front; a long, narrow pass between hills, rocks, etc.

The act of defilading a fortress, or of raising the exterior works in order to protect the interior. See Defilade.

To make foul or impure; to make filthy; to dirty; to befoul; to pollute.

They that touch pitch will be defiled. Shak.

To soil or sully; to tarnish, as reputation; to taint.

He is . . . among the greatest prelates of this age, however his character may be defiled by . . . dirty hands. Swift.

To injure in purity of character; to corrupt.

Defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt. Ezek. xx. 7.

To corrupt the chastity of; to debauch; to violate.

The husband murder'd and the wife defiled. Prior.

To make ceremonially unclean; to pollute.

That which dieth of itself, or is torn with beasts, he shall not eat to defile therewith. Lev. xxii. 8.

Noah Says...

This general disposition to subject the slight and fleeting influence of human example and opinions, for the controlling authority of divine commands, is among the most gloomy presages of the present times. Without a great change of public taste � the progress of depravity will be as rapid, as the ultimate loss of morals, of religion, and of civil liberty, is certain. God has provided but one way, by which nations can secure their rights and privileges � by obedience to his laws. Without this, a nation may be great in population, great in wealth, and great in military strength; but it must be corrupt in morals, degraded in character, and distracted with factions. This is the order of God's moral government, as firm as his throne, and unchangeable as his purpose; and nations, disregarding this order, are doomed to incessant internal evils, and ultimately to ruin.

Instructive and Entertaining Lessons for Youth :: 1835

Access to American Heritage

The moral fiber of our country is the fortress of our future success. The Foundation for American Heritage Access has a simple goal: make historic manuscripts that influenced the American culture available and accessible to modern America. A stronger America comes through the education of our children; through the preservation of the fabric of society that has defined this country; through the culture distilled upon us through our history. We should honor and respect the Christian foundations of this country; our hearts should turn to our historic parentage (Malachi 4).

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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.

February 6, 2012