A Sample Glossary from A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language
A small book with tiny print, Noah Webster’s A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language contained 37,000 entries, including thousands of words that were in daily use in America but not listed in any other dictionary (including a host of terms from medicine, law, chemistry, botany, geology, agriculture, and other sciences, as well as Native American loan words).
Law
advocate verb: to defend, plead in favor of appellate adjective: belonging to appeals decedent noun: one dead lot noun: a share or division of land, a field Science and Mathematics
aeriform adjective: having the form of air, as gas caloric adjective: pertaining to the matter of heat decahedron noun: a figure of ten sides deliquesce verb: to dissolve or soften in air electrician noun: one versed in electricity foliar adjective: pertaining to or growing from a leaf galvanism noun: the name given to effects resembling electricity, produced by metallic substances ignescent adjective: yielding fire or sparks lignify verb: to become or convert into wood nutrient noun: that which feeds or nourishes psychology noun: the doctrines of spirit or mind sebaceous adjective: fat, pertaining to fat vaccine noun: the cow pox, kine-pox vaccinate verb: to inoculate with the virus of the cow pox vaporize verb: to convert into vapor by heat Government
amendatory adjective: containing an amendment caucus noun: cant name of secret meetings for electioneering purposes census noun: an enumeration of inhabitants, a register of people, etc. constitutionality noun: the state of being agreeable to the constitution, or of affecting the constitution presidential adjective: pertaining to a president selectman noun: a town official in New England Agriculture and Industry
flume noun: a channel or passage for water folder noun: a flat instrument to fold sheets of paper gin verb: to clean cotton of its seeds by a gin unmalleable adjective: not capable of being hammered into a plate Plants and Animals
accipiters noun: an order of fowls with hooked bills butternut noun: an American tree with an oblong nut, also the nut cervine adjective: pertaining to the deer conchology noun: the science of shellfish cordiform adjective: in form of a heart dendroid adjective: resembling a shrub hickory noun: a tree, a species of walnut opossum noun: a quadruped which carries her young in a bag under her belly porcine adjective: pertaining to swine scarious adjective: dry and rough to the touch skunk noun: a quadruped remarkable for its smell winterkill verb: to kill by means of winter, as grain |
Business
debit noun: a debt, the debtor side of an account deliverable adjective: that may or ought to be delivered unmarketable adjective: not saleable or fit for the market Food and Drink
chowder noun: a dish of fish boiled with biscuit, etc. hommony noun: food made of maiz broken but coarse and boiled succotash noun: a mixture of new soft maiz and beans boiled whiskey noun: a spirit distilled from grain Miscellaneous
Americanize verb: to render American caddy noun: a small box for tea checkers noun pl.: a game chore noun: a small job, domestic work demoralize verb: to corrupt, undermine or destroy moral principles emphasize verb: to pronounce with a stress of voice energize verb: to give strength or vigor flytrap noun: a trap to catch flies hydrant noun: a pipe to conduct and deliver water immigrant noun: one who removes into a country inapproachable adjective: not to be approached inexact adjective: not exact or precise insubordination noun: disobedience or want of submission to authority leanto noun: the part of a building that appears to lean upon another notice verb: to see, regard, observe, attend orthoepy noun: the art of just pronunciation penmanship noun: the act, art, or use of writing pry verb: to look into with close inspection, to raise with a lever publicity noun: a public state, notoriety sectarian adjective: pertaining to a sect skittles noun: a game like ninepins slang noun: vulgar language, cant phrases [low] slat noun: a thin piece of timber connecting larger ones slatternly adjective: negligent in dress, sluttish snowshoe noun: a light frame to walk with on snow spry adjective: nimble, brisk, quick in action surf noun: waves or swell of the sea breaking on shore velveteen noun: a cloth made of cotten and linen |