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Noah Webster's 1828 American Dictionary

February 8, 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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1828 Definition

INVEN'TION, n. [L. inventio.]

1. The action or operation of finding out something new; the contrivance of that which did not before exist; as the invention of logarithms; the invention of the art of printing; the invention of the orrery. Invention differs from discovery. Invention is applied to the contrivance and production of something that did not before exist. Discovery brings to light that which existed before, but which was not know. We are indebted to invention for the thermometer and barometer. We are indebted to discovery for the knowledge of the isles in the Pacific ocean, and for the knowledge of galvanism, and many species of earth not formerly known. This distinction is important, though not always observed.

2. That which is invented. The cotton gin is the invention of Whitney; the steam boat is the invention of Fulton. The Doric,Ionic and Corinthian orders are said to be inventions of the Greeks; the Tuscan and Composite are inventions of the Latins.

3. Forgery; fiction. Fables are the inventions of ingenious men.

4. In painting, the finding or choice of the objects which are to enter into the composition of the piece.

5. In poetry, it is applied to whatever the poet adds to the history of the subject.

6. In rhetoric, the finding and selecting of arguments to prove and illustrate the point in view.

7. The power of inventing; that skill or ingenuity which is or may be employed in contriving any thing new. Thus we say, a man of invention.

8. Discovery; the finding of things hidden or before unknown. [Less proper.]

1913 Definition

Invention (invention)

(?)

In*ven"tion

[L. inventio: cf. F. invention. See Invent.]

The act of finding out or inventing; contrivance or construction of that which has not before existed; as, the invention of logarithms; the invention of the art of printing.

As the search of it [truth] is the duty, so the invention will be the happiness of man. Tatham.

That which is invented; an original contrivance or construction; a device; as, this fable was the invention of Esop; that falsehood was her own invention.

We entered by the drawbridge, which has an invention to let one fall if not premonished. Evelyn.

Thought; idea.

Shak.

A fabrication to deceive; a fiction; a forgery; a falsehood.

Filling their hearers
With strange invention. Shak.

The faculty of inventing; imaginative faculty; skill or ingenuity in contriving anything new; as, a man of invention.

They lay no less than a want of invention to his charge; a capital crime, . . . for a poet is a maker. Dryden.

The exercise of the imagination in selecting and treating a theme, or more commonly in contriving the arrangement of a piece, or the method of presenting its parts.

Invention of the cross (Eccl.), a festival celebrated May 3d, in honor of the finding of our Savior's cross by St. Helena.

Noah Says...

The duties of men are summarily comprised in the Ten Commandments, consisting of two tables; one comprehending the duties which we owe immediately to God-the other, the duties we owe to our fellow men.

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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 8, 2012