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Noah Webster's 1828 American Dictionary

February 9, 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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(4) Words.

inquire
inquirent
inquirer
reinquire

Webster

KJV

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1828 Definition

INQUI'RE, v.i. [L. inquiro; in and quoero, to seek.]

1. To ask a question; to seek for truth or information by asking questions.

We will call the damsel and inquire at her mouth. Gen.24.

It has of before the person asked. Enquire of them, or of him. It has of, concerning, or after, before the subject of inquiry.

He sent Hadoram, his son, to king David to inquire of his welfare. 1 Chron.18.

For thou does not inquire wisely concerning this.

Eccl. 7.

When search is to be made for particular knowledge or information, it is followed by into. The coroner by jury inquires into the cause of a sudden death. When a place or person is sought, or something hid or missing, for is commonly used. Inquire for Saul of Tarsus. He was inquiring for the house to which he was directed. Inquire for the cloke that is lost. Inquire for the right road. Sometimes it is followed by after. Inquire after the right way.

When some general information is sought, this verb is followed by about; sometimes by concerning. His friends inquired about him; they inquired concerning his welfare.

2. To seek for truth by argument or the discussion of questions, or by investigation.

To inquire into, to make examination; to seek for particular information. Inquire into the time, manner and place. Inquire into all the circumstances of the case.

INQUI'RE, v.t. To ask about; to seek by asking; as,he inquired the way; but the phrase is elliptical, for inquire for the way.

1913 Definition

Inquire (inquire)
v. i.	(?)
In*quire"
[imp. ** p. p.* Inquired (?)] p. pr. ** vb. n.* Inquiring.] [OE. enqueren, inqueren, OF. enquerre, F. enqué]rir, L. inquirere, inquisitum; pref.

To ask a question; to seek for truth or information by putting queries.

We will call the damsel, and inquire. Gen. xxiv. 57.

Then David inquired of the Lord yet again. And the Lord answered him. 1 Sam. xxiii. 4.

To seek to learn anything by recourse to the proper means of knowledge; to make examination.

And inquire
Gladly into the ways of God with man. Miltom.

* This word is followed by of before the person asked; as, to inquire of a neighbor. It is followed by concerning, after, or about, before the subject of inquiry; as, his friends inquired about or concerning his welfare. "Thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this." Eccl. vii. 10. It is followed by into when search is made for particular knowledge or information; as, to inquire into the cause of a sudden death. It is followed by for or after when a place or person is sought, or something is missing. "Inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus." Acts ix. 11.

To ask about; to seek to know by asking; to make examination or inquiry respecting.

Having thus at length inquired the truth concerning law and dispense. Milton.

And all obey and few inquire his will. Byron.

To call or name.

[Obs.] Spenser.

Syn. -- To ask; question. See Question.

Noah Says...

The moral principles and precepts contained in the Scriptures ought to form the basis of all of our civil constitutions and laws....All the miseries and evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible.

History of the United States :: 1832

Unforeseen opportunities for the Brave of Heart

Executives need vision to convert patented R&D into a profit center. Consider EMI, a london company that produces music (a music label company). In their Central Research Laboratories in Hayes, Godfrey Hounsfield had an idea to integrate X-ray slices to create a 3-D image (originally known as an EMI scan), today know as a CT or CAT scan. Godfrey was awared a Nobel Prize for his work, and later knighted. The idea came to him while picnicking in the park; however, the senior executives realized this was no picnic. They leveraged the technology (foundation patent #3,778,614), securing over 120 of the first 450 patents in this space. The legacy competitors (General Electric, Philips, Siemens) were playing catch-up with this innovator. Few executives would be brave enough to execute such a divergent business strategy.

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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 9, 2012