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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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(5) Words.

glassgrinder
grind
grinder
grinding
grindstone

Webster

KJV

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1828 Definition

GRIND, v.t. pret. and pp. ground. [This word, if n is radical, may be allied to rend; if not, it coincides with grate; to make smooth, as mollis in L., allied to molo.]

1. To break and reduce to fine particles or powder by friction; to comminute by attrition; to triturate.

Take the millstones and grind meal. Is.16.

We say, to grind meal, but this is an elliptical phrase. The true phrase is, to grind corn to meal.

2. To break and reduce to small pieces by the teeth.

3. To sharpen by rubbing or friction; to wear off the substance of a metallic instrument, and reduce it to a sharp edge by the friction of a stone; as, to grind an ax or scythe.

4. To make smooth; to polish by friction; as, to grind glass.

5. To rub one against another.

Harsh sounds--and the grinding of one stone against another, make a shivering or horror in the body and set the teeth on edge.

6. To oppress by severe exactions; to afflict cruelly; to harass; as, to grind the faces of the poor Is.3.

7. To crush in pieces; to ruin. Matt.21.

8. To grate; as grinding pains.

GRIND, v.i. To perform the operation of grinding; to move a mill.

1. To be moved or rubbed together, as in the operation of grinding; as the grinding jaws.

2. To be ground or pulverized by friction.

Corn will not grind well before it is dry.

3. To be polished and made smooth by friction. Glass grinds smooth.

4. To be sharpened by grinding. Steel grinds to a fine edge.

1913 Definition

Grind (grind)
v. t.	(?)
Grind
[imp. ** p. p.* Ground (?)] p. pr. ** vb. n.* Grinding.] [AS. grindan] perh. akin to L. frendere to gnash, grind. Cf. Grist.]

To reduce to powder by friction, as in a mill, or with the teeth; to crush into small fragments; to produce as by the action of millstones.

Take the millstones, and grind meal. Is. xivii. 2.

To wear down, polish, or sharpen, by friction; to make smooth, sharp, or pointed; to whet, as a knife or drill; to rub against one another, as teeth, etc.

To oppress by severe exactions; to harass.

To grind the subject or defraud the prince. Dryden.

To study hard for examination.

[College Slang]

To perform the operation of grinding something; to turn the millstones.

Send thee
Into the common prison, there to grind. Milton.

To become ground or pulverized by friction; as, this corn grinds well.

To become polished or sharpened by friction; as, glass grinds smooth; steel grinds to a sharp edge.

To move with much difficulty or friction; to grate.

To perform hard and distasteful service; to drudge; to study hard, as for an examination.

Farrar.

The act of reducing to powder, or of sharpening, by friction.

Any severe continuous work or occupation; esp., hard and uninteresting study.

[Colloq.] T. Hughes.

A hard student; a dig.

[College Slang]

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.

World-leading faculty, staff, and entrepreneurs at the McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship

The Center is committed to enabling and advancing entrepreneurial goals of all university populations, and to advancing the understanding of the influence and role of entrepreneurship in both the business and academic communities by bringing world-class mentoring and entrepreneurial support to our students and community.

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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

More info ...

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