play video websters video of 1864
Words Matter

Webster's Dictionary of 1864

The landmark edition that transformed the way dictionaries are made.


The landmark edition that transformed the way dictionaries are made.

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play video websters video of 1864
Webster's Dictionary of 1864

 

The landmark edition that transformed the way dictionaries are made.

play ismo merriam webster tip
Some Odd Words with ISMO: "People Tipping"

 

Comedian ISMO on the complexities of the word 'tip'

play video lay vs lie
Lay vs. Lie

 

Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.

play mrs malaprop
What is a Malaprop?

 

We'll tell you all the perpendiculars

play serenity carr next to an illustration of a refrigerator with the letter d in it
Why is there a 'd' in 'fridge' but not in 'refrigerator'?

 

Thawing one of the mysteries of English

play video between you and i or me
I vs. Me

 

'Between you and __'? Simple guidance for a tricky pronoun.

play video cynic
The History of 'Cynic'

 

How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.