Noah Webster

1 6.5

An American who wrote a famous dictionary and helped decide how Americans spell words

proper noun
/ˈnoʊə ˈwɛbstər/

: Noah Webster

The first American dictionary was compiled by Noah Webster in the early nineteenth century.

Examples

Noah Webster is often credited with shaping the way American English is spoken and written today.
The first American dictionary was compiled by Noah Webster in the early nineteenth century.
Many people recognize Noah Webster's influence on standardizing American English spelling.
Noah Webster was a great lexicographer.
The famous lexicographer Noah Webster changed American English.
Noah Webster is often credited with shaping the way American English is spoken and written today.
Many people recognize Noah Webster's influence on standardizing American English spelling.

Surface Forms

Noah Webster main

Morphology

Noah + Webster

The combination 'Noah Webster' is a proper name; knowing 'Noah' and 'Webster' only signals a personal name but does not transparently convey the specific biographical meaning (American lexicographer and language reformer). Proper names are arbitrary labels whose referential content is not derivable from constituent word meanings, so a B1 learner would not infer the specialized identity or historical role from the parts alone.

Etymology

Noah Webster was an American who made a very important 'dictionary' and chose simpler spellings, changing 'colour' to 'color' and 'centre' to 'center'. That's why his name now stands for the American way of spelling and using English.