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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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(6) Words.

adumbrant
adumbrate
adumbration
dumb
dumbly
dumbness

Words

Definitions

(6) Words.

adumbrant
adumbrate
adumbration
dumb
dumbly
dumbness

Webster

KJV

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D › dumb

1828 Definition

DUMB, a. Dum.

1. Mute; silent; not speaking.

I was dumb with silence; I held my peace. Psalm 34.

2. Destitute of the power of speech; unable to utter articulate sounds; as the dumb brutes. The asylum at Hartford in Connecticut was the first institution in America for teaching the deaf and dumb to read and write.

3. Mute; not using or accompanied with speech; as a dumb show; dumb signs.

To strike dumb, is to confound; to astonish; to render silent by astonishment; or it may be, to deprive of the power of speech.

DUMB, v.t. To silence.

1913 Definition

Dumb (dumb)
a.	(?)
Dumb
[AS. dumb; akin to D. dom stupid, dumb, Sw. dumb, Goth. dumbs; cf. Gr. (?) blind. See Deaf, and cf. Dummy.]

Destitute of the power of speech; unable; to utter articulate sounds; as, the dumb brutes.

To unloose the very tongues even of dumb creatures. Hooker.

Not willing to speak; mute; silent; not speaking; not accompanied by words; as, dumb show.

This spirit, dumb to us, will speak to him. Shak.

To pierce into the dumb past. J. C. Shairp.

Lacking brightness or clearness, as a color.

[R.]

Her stern was painted of a dumb white or dun color. De Foe.

Deaf and dumb. See Deaf-mute. -- Dumb ague, or Dumb chill, a form of intermittent fever which has no well-defined "chill." [U.S.] -- Dumb animal, any animal except man; - - usually restricted to a domestic quadruped; -- so called in contradistinction to man, who is a "speaking animal." -- Dumb cake, a cake made in silence by girls on St. Mark's eve, with certain mystic ceremonies, to discover their future husbands. Halliwell. -- Dumb cane (Bot.), a west Indian plant of the Arum family (Dieffenbachia seguina), which, when chewed, causes the tongue to swell, and destroys temporarily the power of speech. - - Dumb crambo. See under crambo. -- Dumb show. (a) Formerly, a part of a dramatic representation, shown in pantomime. "Inexplicable dumb shows and noise." Shak. (b) Signs and gestures without words; as, to tell a story in dumb show. -- To strike dumb, to confound; to astonish; to render silent by astonishment; or, it may be, to deprive of the power of speech.

Syn. -- Silent; speechless; noiseless. See Mute.

To put to silence.

[Obs.] Shak.

Noah Says...

Language is not an abstract construction of the learned, or of dictionary makers, but is something arising out of the work, needs, ties, joys, affections, tastes, of long generations of humanity, and has its bases broad and low, close to the ground

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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