WEBSTER, Noah, American lexicographer: b. Hartford, Conn., 16 Oct. 1758; d. New Haven, Conn.. 28 May 1843. In 1774 he entered Yale College hat his studies were interrupted by the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, in be served under his father as a volunteer. He was graduated in 1778 and was admitted to practise law in 1781, but the unsettled state of the country prevented his obtaining a suitable opening in his profession and in 1782 he re moved to Goshen, N. Y., where he taught a clas sical school. Soon after he published his'Grani maim! Institute of the English La in three parts. Part 1 (1783) and Accurate Standard of Pronunciation) ; Part 2 (1784). 'A Plain and Compre hensive Grammar' • Part 3 (1785), 'An Ameri can Selection of Lessons in and Speak ing.' The first part of this work afterward became popularlyknown as 'Webster's bode.' In 18149 it was stated that 62.000,000 copies of the work had then been published. His literary activity was henceforth very great and among works issued by him during the next few years are 'Sketches of American Policy' (1784-85). an argument for the formation of a national constitution. In 1787, after the ad journment of the Constitutional Convention, he published the pamphlet. 'Examination of the Lai- ding Principles of the Federal Constitution); and 'Dissertations on the English Language' (1789). He began the practice of law at Hart ford in 1789, but removed in 1793 to New York, where he established a daily paper, the Minerva (later The Commercial Advertiser), for the pur pose of supporting the government. He pub lished in 1794 a pamphlet on the 'Revolution in France' and wrote 10 essays under the signature of in favor of the Jay Treaty with Great Britain. These publications had a powerful influence in stemming the tide of feeling in favor of a French alliance. In con nection with the visitation of yellow fever he made a special study of the history of pestilential diseases and wrote a work on contagious dis eases which was published in England and America in 1799. in the previous year he had removed to New Haven. In 1802 he published
'Historical Notices of the Origin and State of Banking Institutions and Insurance Offices.' His great work was the 'American Dictionary of the English Language.' He devoted many years to the collection of new words and prepa ration of more free and exact definitions. In 1824, when the book was nearly finished, he vis ited Europe to procure such information as he had been unable to obtain in America. After a short stay in Paris be went to England, where he finished his dictionary during an eight months' residence in Cambridge. In June 1 he returned to America. An edition of copies of his dictionary was published in 1'828, followed by an edition of 3.000 in England under the superintendence of E. H. Barker. The work contained 12,000 words and 40,000 definitions not to be found in any similar publication. In 1840.41 be published a second edition in two vol umes, with extensive additions to the vocabulary and corrections of definitions.
Noah Webster properly takes rank as the greatest of lexicographers, his work being largely original and of vastly greater acme than that of earlier dictionary makers. He originated most of the accepted dictionary forms and lair for the modern comprehensive Dicriommtv).
His 'Collection of rapers on rolitical, Literary and Moral Subjects' was a reprint of some of his earlier writings. Webster was through out life associated with many of the most emi nent men of the country and always took an active share in public life, supporting his party chiefly by his pen. Several enlarged and im proved editions of his dictionary have been pub lished since his death, both in America and in England, and it has alwiys held its place as a standard work. Among his further writings are 'Letters to Dr. Priestly' (1800) • 'Origin, History and the Connection of the(..anfruages of Western Asia and of Europe' - and a 'HistoryOf the United States (rev. ed., 1838). Consult the 'Life' by Scudder (1882) in the 'American Men of Letters' series; and Ford's 'Notes on the Life of Noah Webster' (2 vols., New York 1912).