# Webster's Dictionary

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/websters-dictionary/60936>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [April 5, 2001, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/websters-dictionary/60936 "2001-04-05T15:58:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![Opus1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/858c86/32.png) [@Opus1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Opus1)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2001, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/websters-dictionary/60936/61 "2001-06-10T20:07:44Z")

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[Homer Simpson]  
Webster’s defines a wedding as “the act or process of removing weeds.”  
[/Homer Simpson]

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2001, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/websters-dictionary/60936/62 "2001-06-11T00:28:17Z")

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I was having a conversation with a friend (who I thought up until then was reasonably intelligent).

I coined a word by adding ‘-ishness’ to an existing noun.

he: That’s not a word.  
me: It is now. I just made it one.  
he: You can’t just make up a word.  
me: Yes you can. I just did. Where do you think words come from?  
he: The Dictionary.  
me: Who wrote the dictionary?  
he: I don’t know. I guess Webster.  
me: So Webster made up all of our words and before that we just grunted?

At which point he stalked off.

I could have gone on for hours.

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**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2001, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/websters-dictionary/60936/63 "2001-06-11T14:36:08Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Rico \*  
> \*\*If you look in the dictionary under “redundant”, does it say “see REDUNDANT”??? \*\*

No, to get that effect you need to look up “recursive.”

-Friedo, Vice President of the Department of Redundancy Dept.

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**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2001, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/websters-dictionary/60936/64 "2001-06-11T16:00:36Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by labradorian \*  
> \*\*Any person who begins a speech, presentation, essay, or article with “Webster’s Dictionary defines /thing/ as…” should be summarily shot. \*\*

I’m not sure why, but this bugs me too.

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**Author:** ![G.Nome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c89c15/32.png) [@G.Nome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G.Nome)\
**Post date:** [June 12, 2001, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/websters-dictionary/60936/65 "2001-06-12T00:51:47Z")

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I once had a job correcting newspaper proofs prior to publication. A lot of the work involved dealing with “run-on” advertisements which were taken over the phone by other staff. I was kept really busy at times and paid a good wage. In Britain, Australia and New Zealand, American spelling is construed as mistaken spelling. One day I wandered out to the telephone department and found out where 40% of the mistakes were coming from. The workers there had a Websters dictionary. It was old and it was their only dictionary. I bought my computer with some of the money I earned at that job. In a way I still pay my ISP charges with it. Thank you Websters dictionary.

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