Worcester, Joseph Emerson

Worcester, Joseph Emerson

▪ American lexicographer
born Aug. 24, 1784, Bedford, N.H., U.S.
died Oct. 27, 1865, Cambridge, Mass.

      American lexicographer whose dictionaries rivaled those of Noah Webster (Webster, Noah) in popularity and critical esteem from about 1830 to 1865. His introduction of synonyms to definitions, as well as other innovations, was assimilated by later lexicographers.

      Beginning in 1817 Worcester wrote several works that were widely used as textbooks, including A Gazetteer of the United States (1818) and Elements of History, Ancient and Modern (1826). From about 1828 until his death, however, he devoted himself almost entirely to lexicography. His abridgment of Webster's large American Dictionary of the English Language in 1829 was followed by his own Comprehensive Pronouncing and Explanatory Dictionary of the English Language (1830), which introduced the “compromise vowel” in such words as half, past, and dance, a sound intermediate between the a in “cat” and the a in “father.” The later work also elicited a charge of plagiarism from Webster and thus began a bitter publishing battle known as the “Dictionary War,” which lasted until Worcester's death.

      His Universal and Critical Dictionary of the English Language (1846) was followed by enlarged editions of the 1830 Comprehensive. Most notable among them was the 1855 edition with the new title A Pronouncing, Explanatory, and Synonymous Dictionary of the English Language. In addition to its pioneering introduction of synonymy, it also included, for the first time in an English dictionary, given names and their etymological derivations. Worcester's largest and most successful work was the illustrated quarto Dictionary of the English Language (1860).

      In the second half of the 19th century Worcester's dictionaries gradually lost out in competition with those of Webster, and they eventually ceased to be published. This was due largely to the more enterprising promotional and editorial policies undertaken by the publisher of the Webster dictionaries.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Worcester,Joseph Emerson — Worcester, Joseph Emerson. 1784 1865. American lexicographer. The publication of his Comprehensive Pronouncing and Explanatory Dictionary of the English Language (1830) brought charges of plagiarism from Noah Webster and started the battle known… …   Universalium

  • Joseph Emerson Worcester — (1784 ndash;1865) was an American lexicographer and chief competitor of Webster s Dictionary in the mid nineteenth century.BiographyWorcester was born August 24, 1784, in Bedford, New Hampshire, and worked on a farm in his youth, entering… …   Wikipedia

  • Joseph Emerson Worcester — noun United States lexicographer who was accused of plagiarism by Noah Webster (1784 1865) • Syn: ↑Worcester • Instance Hypernyms: ↑lexicographer, ↑lexicologist …   Useful english dictionary

  • Worcester — Worcester1 [woos′tər] Joseph Emerson 1784 1865; U.S. lexicographer Worcester2 [woos′tər] 1. city in E England, in Hereford and Worcester: county district pop. 81,000 2. WORCESTERSHIRE 3. city in central Mass.: pop. 173,000 …   English World dictionary

  • Worcester — /woos teuhr/, n. 1. Joseph Emerson, 1784 1865, U.S. lexicographer. 2. a city in central Massachusetts. 161,799. 3. a city in Hereford and Worcester, in W England, on the Severn: cathedral; Cromwell s defeat of the Scots 1651. 74,300. 4.… …   Universalium

  • Worcester — I. noun Date: 1783 low fired porcelain containing a frit and steatite produced at Worcester, England, from about 1751 called also Worcester china, Worcester porcelain II. biographical name Joseph Emerson 1784 1865 American lexicographer III.… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Worcester — Worces•ter [[t]ˈwʊs tər[/t]] n. 1) big Joseph Emerson, 1784–1865, U.S. lexicographer 2) geg a city in central Massachusetts. 166,350 3) geg why a city in Hereford and Worcester, in W England, on the Severn. 74,300 4) geg Worcestershire …   From formal English to slang

  • Worcester — noun 1. United States lexicographer who was accused of plagiarism by Noah Webster (1784 1865) • Syn: ↑Joseph Emerson Worcester • Instance Hypernyms: ↑lexicographer, ↑lexicologist 2. an industrial and university city in central Massachusetts to… …   Useful english dictionary

  • ВУСТЕР Джозеф Эмерсон — (Worcester, Joseph Emerson) (1784 1865) американский лексикограф, родился 24 августа 1784 в Бедфорде (шт. Нью Гэмпшир). Получил образование в школе Филипс в Андовере (шт. Массачусетс) и в Йельском колледже, получив степень бакалавра в 1811. Затем …   Энциклопедия Кольера

  • dictionary — /dik sheuh ner ee/, n., pl. dictionaries. 1. a book containing a selection of the words of a language, usually arranged alphabetically, giving information about their meanings, pronunciations, etymologies, inflected forms, etc., expressed in… …   Universalium

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