The Merriam Webster online dictionary is a must have in today’s world. With the popularity of mobile phones and laptops, it’s easier than ever to keep up-to-date with the latest words and phrases. It’s also a great tool to use in the classroom to help students improve their skills. Whether you need to look up an acronym, a specific word, or just want to be sure you’re getting a good definition, the online dictionary has everything you need.
Angus MacGyver in the eponymous series from the 1980s
Angus MacGyver is a man of action and intelligence. He’s a former special forces officer who specializes in bomb disposal. His favorite method of solving problems is by using his intelligence and improvised gadgets. And he often ends up helping investigators solve crimes.
MacGyver first appeared on a TV show in 1985. The series ran for six seasons on ABC. It was a production of Paramount. One of the pilot episodes featured a young MacGyver, played by Jared Padalecki. But it wasn’t picked up.
Later in the show, a character named Murdoc was introduced. Initially, it seemed that Murdoc was a black clad gunman. However, it turns out that he was an assassin for the Homicide International Trust.
In the series, MacGyver was not a fan of guns, but he would use his knowledge of mechanics and chemistry to help solve a wide variety of problems. He’d also build aircraft out of scraps.
Noah Webster’s unabridged
Noah Webster’s unabridged dictionary is a vital resource for those interested in the Bible. Its definitions can be compared to those in modern dictionaries. In addition, it provides an excellent opportunity to learn about American culture.
Noah Webster spent a lifetime researching, compiling and writing dictionaries. After his death, his work was passed down through the generations. The original works are now in the public domain.
Noah Webster’s work was the inspiration for many writers. Emily Dickinson often used his dictionary. She paid special attention to the definitions and etymologies.
Merriam-Webster, the corporate heir to Noah Webster’s original work, has expanded the vocabulary of its dictionaries. Some of its revisions, however, have little in common with the original source.
For example, the dictionary produced by Merriam’s company in the 19th century is not in the same style as its abridged editions. And the unabridged dictionary, while a valuable tool, is not considered as a sophisticated intellectual tool.
Ain’t in Merriam Webster online dictionary triggered a culture war
When Merriam-Webster released the third edition of their dictionary, ain’t became a hot button topic. Critics were alarmed by the word’s inclusion, arguing it was vulgar, over-the-top, and ungrammatical. The controversy was mostly misguided. However, it was the first salvo in the current culture war.
Webster’s Third, published in 1934, marked a dramatic departure from its predecessors. Its aggressive attitude toward classroom notions of correctness irked some. Among other things, it included a fourth definition of jew. This was an affront to scholarly principles.
But Merriam-Webster also came under fire for its grammatical choices. Critics were particularly critical of its treatment of ain’t. They argued that ain’t was a variant of to be not, and that its usage was vulgar.
The Merriam-Webster controversy reflects an emerging culture war. It centered around racial tensions and concerns about the established institutions of the United States.
Although the controversy was mostly misguided, it did ignite a debate about the cultural and political role of dictionaries. Some writers, like David Foster Wallace, wrote about the new dictionary and its meaning.
It’s not the first dictionary company to update its signature reference work
If you’re looking to buy the Merriam Webster Unabridged Dictionary, you’re not alone. But it’s also not the flagship dictionary of the company, which is dedicated to maintaining the standard of English language usage.
The Merriam-Webster company has been around for more than two centuries. It’s the last fully staffed American dictionary-maker. However, it’s in a tough spot: it needs to find a balance between Noah Webster and the Internet.
The Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary will have 476,000 entries. That’s a lot of words. And there’s a good chance they’ll be more diverse than any previous edition.
Merriam has added more than 2,800 new entries since January 2013. There are more than 1,700 nominees for word-dom in the Unabridged’s New Words list, and more than 50 are in the dictionary’s pending Release 4 this spring.
The dictionary company traces its lineage back to Noah Webster. When Webster’s first dictionary appeared in 1806 in Connecticut, it rivaled the great British book of Samuel Johnson.
