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Noah Webster's 1828 American Dictionary

February 10, 2012

Project::Noah

It is not only important, but, in a degree necessary, that the people of this country, should have an American Dictionary of the English language; for, although the body of the language is the same as in England, and it is desirable to perpetuate that sameness, yet some differences must exist. Language is the expression of ideas; and if the people of one country cannot preserve an identity of ideas, they cannot retain an identity of language.

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(3) Words.

essence
essenced
quintessence

Webster

KJV

To be ...

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1828 Definition

ES'SENCE, n. [L. essentia, esse, to be.]

1. That which constitutes the particular nature of a being or substance, or of a genus, and which distinguishes it from all others.

Mr. Locke makes a distinction between nominal essence and real essence. The nominal essence, for example, of gold, is that complex idea expressed by gold; the real essence is the constitution of its insensible parts, on which its properties depend, which is unknown to us.

The essence of God bears no relation to place.

2. Formal existence; that which makes any thing to be what it is; or rather, the peculiar nature of a thing; the very substance; as the essence of christianity.

3. Existence; the quality of being.

I could have resigned my very essence.

4. A being; an existent person; as heavenly essences.

5. Species of being.

6. Constituent substance; as the pure essence of a spirit. [Locke's real essence, supra.]

7. The predominant qualities or virtues of any plant or drug, extracted, refined or rectified from grosser matter; or more strictly, a volatile essential oil; as the essence of mint.

8. Perfume, odor,scent; or the volatile matter constituting perfume.

Nor let th' imprisoned essences exhale.

ES'SENCE, v.t. To perfume; to scent.

1913 Definition

Essence (essence)
n.	(?)
Es"sence
[F. essence, L. essentia, formed as if fr. a p. pr. of esse to be. See Is, and cf. Entity.]

The constituent elementary notions which constitute a complex notion, and must be enumerated to define it; sometimes called the nominal essence.

The constituent quality or qualities which belong to any object, or class of objects, or on which they depend for being what they are (distinguished as real essence); the real being, divested of all logical accidents; that quality which constitutes or marks the true nature of anything; distinctive character; hence, virtue or quality of a thing, separated from its grosser parts.

The laws are at present, both in form and essence, the greatest curse that society labors under. Landor.

Gifts and alms are the expressions, not the essence of this virtue [charity]. Addison.

The essence of Addison's humor is irony. Courthope.

Constituent substance.

And uncompounded is their essence pure. Milton.

A being; esp., a purely spiritual being.

As far as gods and heavenly essences
Can perish. Milton.

He had been indulging in fanciful speculations on spiritual essences, until . . . he had and ideal world of his own around him. W. Irving.

The predominant qualities or virtues of a plant or drug, extracted and refined from grosser matter; or, more strictly, the solution in spirits of wine of a volatile or essential oil; as, the essence of mint, and the like.

The . . . word essence . . . scarcely underwent a more complete transformation when from being the abstract of the verb "to be," it came to denote something sufficiently concrete to be inclosed in a glass bottle. J. S. Mill.

Perfume; odor; scent; or the volatile matter constituting perfume.

Nor let the essences exhale. Pope.

To perfume] to scent.

"Essenced fops." Addison.

Noah Says...

Noah Webster was born on Monday, October 16th, 1758 making him a Libra, Yin Fire Ox [Ding-chou].

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Project::Noah

More info ...

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 10, 2012