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Excerpt

Excerpt from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1st 100 Pages), by Noah Webster

Ad¶am (#), n. 1. The name given in the Bible to the first man, the progenitor of the human race.
2. (As a symbol) ½Original sin;¸ human frailty.
And whipped the offending Adam out of him.
Shak.

Adam's ale, water. [Colloq.] Ð Adam's apple. 1. (Bot.) (a) A species of banana (Musa paradisiaca). It attains a height of twenty feet or more. Paxton. (b) A species of lime (Citris limetta). 2. The projection formed by the thyroid cartilage in the neck. It is particularly prominent in males, and is so called from a notion that it was caused by the forbidden fruit (an apple) sticking in the throat of our first parent. Ð Adam's flannel (Bot.), the mullein (Verbascum thapsus). Ð Adam's needle (Bot.), the popular name of a genus (Yucca) of liliaceous plants.

Ad¶aÏmant (#), n. [OE. adamaunt, adamant, diamond, magnet, OF. adamant, L. adamas, adamantis, the hardest metal, fr. Gr. ?, ?; ? priv. + ? to tame, subdue. In OE., from confusion with L. adamare to love, be attached to, the word meant also magnet, as in OF. and LL. See Diamond, Tame.] 1. A stone imagined by some to be of impenetrable hardness; a name given to the diamond and other substance of extreme hardness; but in modern mineralogy it has no technical signification. It is now a rhetorical or poetical name for the embodiment of impenetrable hardness.
Opposed the rocky orb
Of tenfold adamant, his ample shield.
Milton.
2. Lodestone; magnet. [Obs.] ½A great adamant of acquaintance.¸
Bacon.
As true to thee as steel to adamant.
Greene.
Ad·aÏmanÏte¶an (#), a. [L. adamant?us.] Of adamant; hard as adamant.
Milton.
Ad·aÏman¶tine (#), a. [L. adamantinus, Gr. ?.] 1. Made of adamant, or having the qualities of adamant; incapable of being broken, dissolved, or penetrated; as, adamantine bonds or chains.
2. (Min.) Like the diamond in hardness or luster.
Ad·amÏbuÏla¶cral (#), a. [L. ad + E. ambulacral.] (Zo”l.) Next to the ambulacra; as, the adambulacral ossicles of the starfish.
AÏdam¶ic (#), AÏdam¶icÏal (#),} a. Of or pertaining to Adam, or resembling him.
Adamic earth, a name given to common red clay, from a notion that Adam means red earth.

Explanation

This excerpt from Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary (1st edition, 1864, though based on Noah Webster’s earlier work) is a fascinating microcosm of lexicography, cultural mythology, etymology, and the evolution of language. Below is a detailed breakdown of the text, focusing on its content, themes, literary devices, and broader significance—primarily through close analysis of the excerpt itself.

1. Context of the Source

Noah Webster (1758–1843) was an American lexicographer, textbook pioneer, and cultural nationalist who sought to standardize American English. His An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828) was a landmark in defining American linguistic identity, distinguishing it from British English. The Unabridged Dictionary (expanded posthumously) reflects his goal of creating a comprehensive, morally and intellectually rigorous reference work.

This excerpt covers entries from "Adam" to "Adamical", blending biblical, scientific, and colloquial definitions. The structure reveals how dictionaries are not just neutral records of language but repositories of cultural knowledge, scientific understanding, and even moral assumptions.

2. Themes in the Excerpt

A. Biblical and Mythological Foundations

The entry for "Adam" is steeped in Judeo-Christian tradition, presenting him as:

The first man ("progenitor of the human race")—a foundational figure in Western theology and anthropology.
A symbol of original sin and human frailty, reinforced by the Shakespearean quote:
"And whipped the offending Adam out of him." (From Henry IV, Part 1, where Falstaff humorously describes being beaten as a moral purging of Adam’s sinful legacy.)

The dictionary thus encodes theological doctrine (original sin) and literary allusion (Shakespeare) into a single entry, showing how language carries cultural memory.

B. Scientific and Botanical Knowledge

The sub-entries under "Adam’s apple" and related terms reveal the intersection of folklore, science, and etymology:

"Adam’s apple" (thyroid cartilage): The explanation ties anatomy to myth ("forbidden fruit sticking in the throat"), blending medical fact with biblical lore.
"Adam’s apple" (botany): Refers to two unrelated plants (banana and lime), showing how colloquial names can be misleading or metaphorical.
"Adam’s flannel" (mullein) and "Adam’s needle" (yucca): These reflect folk taxonomy, where plants are named after biblical figures for their perceived qualities (e.g., mullein’s soft leaves resembling flannel).

This highlights how dictionaries preserve both scientific and vernacular knowledge, sometimes in tension.

C. Linguistic Evolution and Obsolescence

"Adamant": Originally meant both diamond and lodestone (magnet), due to etymological confusion (Greek adamas = "untamable" vs. Latin adamare = "to love/cling"). The entry notes that the magnet meaning is obsolete ("[Obs.]"), showing how language sheds meanings over time.
"Adamantine": Used poetically (e.g., Milton’s "adamantine chains") to evoke unbreakable hardness, a metaphor for moral or physical resilience.

This illustrates how dictionaries document the life cycle of words, from birth to obsolescence.

D. Cultural and Gendered Assumptions

"Adam’s apple": The note that it is "particularly prominent in males" reflects 19th-century anatomical observations but also gendered norms (associating masculinity with physical traits).
"Adamic earth": The claim that Adam means "red earth" (from Hebrew adamah) is etymologically correct, but the dictionary’s matter-of-fact presentation treats it as literal truth, showing how lexicography can naturalize cultural myths.

3. Literary Devices and Stylistic Features

A. Etymological Storytelling

The entries weave mini-narratives through etymology:

"Adamant": The breakdown of Greek roots (a- = "not" + daman = "to tame") tells a story of indomitable strength, reinforced by Milton’s epic imagery ("tenfold adamant").
"Adambulacral": The hybrid Latin-English term (ad + ambulacral) is a scientific neologism, showing how dictionaries absorb specialized jargon.

B. Intertextuality

Shakespeare and Milton: Quotations from these authors anchor definitions in literary authority, suggesting that great literature helps define language.
Bacon and Greene: Less canonical references (e.g., Bacon’s "adamant of acquaintance") show how dictionaries preserve obscure usages, acting as archives of forgotten metaphors.

C. Metaphor and Symbolism

"Adam" as symbol: The shift from literal man to metaphor for sin demonstrates how words accumulate symbolic weight.
"Adamantine": Used metaphorically for moral rigidity (e.g., "adamantine bonds") or physical durability, showing how material qualities become abstract ideals.

D. Taxonomy and Classification

The dictionary organizes knowledge hierarchically:

Primary definitions (e.g., Adam as the first man).
Extended meanings (symbolic, botanical, anatomical).
Obsolete or technical usages (e.g., adamant as lodestone). This mirrors Enlightenment-era classification systems, where language was seen as a tool for ordering the world.

4. Significance of the Excerpt

A. The Dictionary as a Cultural Artifact

This excerpt reveals how dictionaries are not neutral but reflect the biases, knowledge, and values of their time:

Biblical centrality: Adam’s prominence shows the dominance of Christian thought in 19th-century America.
Scientific curiosity: The botanical and zoological terms reflect the Victorian-era fascination with natural history.
Linguistic nationalism: Webster’s project was partly to assert American English’s independence from British standards.

B. The Power of Definition

By defining words, dictionaries shape reality:

"Adam" as "human frailty": This embeds a theological worldview into the language.
"Adamic earth": Presents a folk etymology as fact, showing how dictionaries can perpetuate myths.

C. The Evolution of Language

The obsolescence of "adamant" as lodestone and the survival of "adamantine" as a poetic term illustrate how:

Meanings shift (semantic change).
Words specialize (e.g., "adambulacral" for zoology).
Metaphors fossilize (e.g., "adamantine chains" losing its literal connection to diamonds).

D. The Intersection of Science and Myth

The coexistence of biblical explanations ("forbidden fruit") and scientific terms ("ambulacral ossicles") shows how dictionaries bridge different epistemologies—faith and empiricism, poetry and taxonomy.

5. Close Reading of Key Passages

A. "And whipped the offending Adam out of him." (Shakespeare)

Context: Falstaff’s humorous excuse for being beaten (Henry IV, Part 1).
Significance:
- Literary allusion: The dictionary uses Shakespeare to illustrate usage, elevating the quote to a proverbial status.
- Theological humor: The idea of "whipping Adam out" plays on original sin as a physical burden, a concept both doctrinal and comedic.

**B. "Opposed the rocky orb / Of tenfold adamant, his ample shield." (Milton, Paradise Lost)**

Context: Satan’s shield in the war in heaven.
Significance:
- Epic grandeur: "Tenfold adamant" suggests superhuman hardness, fitting Milton’s cosmic battle.
- Poetic license: "Adamant" is used metaphorically, not scientifically, showing how literature stretches language.

C. "A great adamant of acquaintance." (Bacon)

Meaning: Likely refers to a strong attraction (since "adamant" could mean lodestone).
Significance:
- Obsolete usage: The dictionary marks this as "[Obs.]," showing how metaphors decay when their literal roots are forgotten.
- Bacon’s wit: The phrase plays on magnetism as social bonding, a clever but now-lost figure of speech.

6. Conclusion: The Dictionary as a Mirror of Culture

This excerpt is more than a dry reference—it is a cultural palimpsest, layering:

Religion (Adam’s sin, biblical etymologies).
Science (botany, zoology, anatomy).
Literature (Shakespeare, Milton, Bacon).
Folk knowledge ("Adam’s ale" for water, "Adam’s flannel" for mullein).

Webster’s dictionary does not just describe language; it preserves a worldview. The definitions are miniature essays on how humans name, classify, and mythologize their existence. In this sense, the dictionary is both a tool and a text—one that invites us to read between the lines of its seemingly objective entries.

Final Thought

If we consider the dictionary as a literary work, this excerpt is a microcosm of human thought—where science, faith, and poetry collide in the space of a few definitions. It reminds us that every word is a story, and every definition is a negotiation between past and present.

Questions

Question 1

The passage’s treatment of "adamant" as both a literal substance and a poetic metaphor most strongly suggests that lexicography in Webster’s era functioned as:

A. an attempt to standardize scientific terminology by purging figurative language from technical definitions.
B. a neutral archive of linguistic usage, devoid of cultural or ideological influence.
C. a tool for enforcing religious doctrine by embedding theological interpretations into secular definitions.
D. a dynamic intersection of empirical observation, literary tradition, and mythological residue.
E. a rejection of classical etymology in favor of contemporary, utilitarian word meanings.

Question 2

The inclusion of Shakespeare’s "whipped the offending Adam out of him" alongside the definition of Adam as "original sin" primarily serves to:

A. illustrate how literary usage can fossilize theological concepts into everyday language.
B. undermine the biblical authority of Adam by framing sin as a comedic, rather than doctrinal, construct.
C. demonstrate the dictionary’s preference for secular over religious explanations of human behavior.
D. highlight the obsolescence of Shakespearean metaphors in modern lexicography.
E. contrast the moral gravity of original sin with the frivolity of colloquial expressions.

Question 3

The entry for "Adam’s apple" (thyroid cartilage) is most thematically resonant with which of the following ideas?

A. The inevitability of scientific progress in debunking folk etymologies.
B. The dictionary’s role in policing gendered anatomical descriptions.
C. The persistence of mythological narratives in ostensibly empirical discourse.
D. The superiority of botanical classification over anatomical terminology.
E. The decline of biblical literacy as a consequence of Enlightenment rationalism.

Question 4

The shift in meaning of "adamant" from "lodestone" (obsolete) to "diamond-like hardness" (poetic) is best understood as an example of:

A. semantic narrowing, where a word’s application becomes more technically precise.
B. metaphorical reification, where a figurative usage supplants a literal one due to cultural associations.
C. lexical attrition, where a word’s original meaning is erased by linguistic prescription.
D. etymological corruption, where false cognates (e.g., adamare) distort a word’s history.
E. scientific revisionism, where advancements in mineralogy dictate lexicographical changes.

Question 5

If Webster’s dictionary is read as a "cultural palimpsest," the juxtaposition of "Adamic earth" (folk etymology) and "adambulacral" (zoological term) primarily reveals:

A. the dictionary’s failure to reconcile pre-modern superstitions with modern science.
B. the arbitrary nature of word formation, where technical and colloquial terms arise independently.
C. the stratified accumulation of knowledge systems, where myth, religion, and empiricism coexist.
D. the prioritization of biblical narratives over observational biology in 19th-century lexicography.
E. the inevitability of linguistic decay, as older meanings are replaced by specialized jargon.

Solutions and Explanations

1) Correct answer: D

Why D is most correct: The passage demonstrates that Webster’s lexicography does not rigidly separate scientific, literary, and mythological dimensions of language. "Adamant" is defined as a literal substance (diamond/hardest metal), a poetic metaphor (Milton’s "tenfold adamant"), and an obsolete term (lodestone), while its etymology traces back to Greek roots (a- + daman). This layered treatment aligns with D’s claim that the dictionary is a "dynamic intersection" of empirical observation (mineralogy), literary tradition (Milton/Shakespeare), and mythological residue (the indomitable, "untamable" connotation). The other options impose false binaries (e.g., science vs. figurative language) that the passage undermines.