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Webster (NOAH an American lexi- He)

NOAH, an American lexi- 16, 1758. He was graduated at Yale Colcographer; born in Hartford, Conn., Oct. lege in 1778, having served in the Revolutionary War in his junior year; was admitted to the bar in 1781, but 'relinquished it for teaching in 1782; and in 1788 settled in New York as a journalist. Thence he removed to New Haven in 1798, and thence to Amherst in 1812, returning to New Haven in 1822. In 1783-1785 he published his "Grammatical Institute of the English Language," in three parts, "Webster's Spelling Book," "A Plain and Comprehensive Grammar," ,',, and "An American Selection of Lessons in Reading and Speaking." All these works had an enormous sale. His literary activity activity was henceforth very great, the works issued by him during the next few years including important legal and linguistic studies. In 1806 he published an 8vo. English dictionary, which led the way for his great work, the "American Dictionary of the English Language."

In preparing this work he visited England, and he finished the dictionary during an eight months' residence in Cambridge. In June, 1825, he returned to America. The first edition of his dictionary was published in 1828 (2 vols. 4to.); it was followed by a second in 1840; since which time a number of editions have appeared, and the work has grown into the greatly improved and enlarged "International Dictionary." He died in New Haven, Conn., May 28, 1843.