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Excerpt from The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary: Section C, by Project Gutenberg

He had received a cross answer from his mistress.<br />
Jer. Taylor.
  1. Made in an opposite direction, or an inverse relation; mutually inverse; interchanged; as, cross interrogatories; cross marriages, as when a brother and sister marry persons standing in the same relation to each other.

Cross action (Law), an action brought by a party who is sued against the person who has sued him, upon the same subject matter, as upon the same contract. Burrill. -- Cross aisle (Arch.), a transept; the lateral divisions of a cruciform church. -- Cross axle. (a) (Mach.) A shaft, windlass, or roller, worked by levers at opposite ends, as in the copperplate printing press. (b) A driving axle, with cranks set at an angle of 90░ with each other. -- Cross bedding (Geol.), oblique lamination of horizontal beds. -- Cross bill. See in the Vocabulary. -- Cross bitt. Same as Crosspiece. -- Cross bond, a form of bricklaying, in which the joints of one stretcher course come midway between those of the stretcher courses above and below, a course of headers and stretchers intervening. See Bond, n., 8. -- Cross breed. See in the Vocabulary. -- Cross breeding. See under Breeding. -- Cross buttock, a particular throw in wrestling; hence, an unexpected defeat or repulse. Smollet. -- Cross country, across the country; not by the road. "The cross-country ride." Cowper. -- Cross fertilization, the fertilization of the female products of one physiological individual by the male products of another, -- as the fertilization of the ovules of one plant by pollen from another. See Fertilization. -- Cross file, a double convex file, used in dressing out the arms or crosses of fine wheels. -- Cross fire (Mil.), lines of fire, from two or more points or places, crossing each other. -- Cross forked. (Her.) See under Forked. -- Cross frog. See under Frog. -- Cross furrow, a furrow or trench cut across other furrows to receive the water running in them and conduct it to the side of the field. -- Cross handle, a handle attached transversely to the axis of a tool, as in the augur. Knight. -- Cross lode (Mining), a vein intersecting the true or principal lode. -- Cross purpose. See Cross-purpose, in the Vocabulary. -- Cross reference, a reference made from one part of a book or register to another part, where the same or an allied subject is treated of. -- Cross sea (Naut.), a chopping sea, in which the waves run in contrary directions. -- Cross stroke, a line or stroke across something, as across the letter t. -- Cross wind, a side wind; an unfavorable wind. -- Cross wires, fine wires made to traverse the field of view in a telescope, and moved by a screw with a graduated head, used for delicate astronomical observations; spider lines. Fixed cross wires are also used in microscopes, etc.

Explanation ​

This excerpt is from The Gutenberg Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary (a digitized version of Noah Webster’s 1913 Unabridged Dictionary), specifically the section defining various uses of the word "cross" as an adjective, noun, or compound term. Below is a detailed breakdown of the text, its structure, themes, literary devices (though minimal in a dictionary entry), and significance, with a focus on the excerpt itself.

1. Context of the Source ​

  • Noah Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary (1913): This was a comprehensive reference work aimed at standardizing American English, expanding on earlier editions (like the 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language). The 1913 edition was one of the last major print versions before the Webster’s New International Dictionary (1934) and later Merriam-Webster iterations.
  • Project Gutenberg’s Role: The excerpt is part of a digitized, public-domain version of the dictionary, making it accessible for historical and linguistic study. The format retains the original’s dense, encyclopedic style, with definitions often including technical, legal, or archaic usages.
  • Purpose of the Excerpt: The passage defines "cross" in its adjectival and compound forms, illustrating how the word functions across disciplines (law, architecture, biology, mechanics, etc.). It reflects the dictionary’s role as both a linguistic and cultural artifact, capturing the breadth of 19th/early 20th-century knowledge.

2. Themes in the Excerpt ​

While a dictionary entry isn’t "thematic" in the literary sense, the excerpt reveals broader ideas about language, classification, and interdisciplinary knowledge:

A. The Multivalence of Words ​

  • "Cross" is shown to have dozens of context-dependent meanings, from literal (e.g., cross aisle in architecture) to metaphorical (e.g., cross purpose as conflict). This highlights how language adapts to specialized fields.
  • Example: Cross fertilization (biology) vs. cross fire (military) vs. cross reference (publishing)—each reflects a distinct domain but shares the core idea of intersection or opposition.

B. Interdisciplinary Knowledge ​

  • The definitions span law, architecture, mechanics, agriculture, heraldry, nautical terms, and more, demonstrating how dictionaries serve as repositories of cultural and technical knowledge. For instance:
    • Cross action (law) assumes familiarity with legal procedures.
    • Cross bedding (geology) requires understanding of sedimentary layers.
    • Cross wires (astronomy) references telescopic technology.

C. Historical and Archaic Usage ​

  • Some terms are obsolete or niche today (e.g., cross buttock in wrestling, cross frog in heraldry), offering a window into past practices.
  • Others remain relevant but have evolved (e.g., cross breeding is now more commonly "hybridization").

D. Precision and Ambiguity ​

  • The dictionary disambiguates homonymous terms (e.g., cross bill refers to a legal document, not a bird) but also shows how ambiguity is inherent in language. For example, cross can imply opposition (cross answer), intersection (crossroads), or transversality (cross handle).

3. Literary Devices and Stylistic Features ​

While not a "literary" text, the excerpt employs structural and rhetorical techniques:

A. Taxonomy and Classification ​

  • The entry uses hierarchical organization, grouping definitions by discipline (e.g., law, architecture) or by the part of speech (adjective vs. noun compounds).
  • Parenthetical labels (Law, Arch., Geol.) act as metatextual guides, signaling the field of application.

B. Concision and Technical Language ​

  • Definitions are telegrammatic, omitting articles or conjunctions for brevity (e.g., "a shaft, windlass, or roller, worked by levers at opposite ends").
  • Jargon is used without explanation (e.g., stretcher course in masonry), assuming a knowledgeable reader.

C. Cross-Referencing ​

  • The text directs readers elsewhere (e.g., "See in the Vocabulary" for cross bill or cross breed), creating a network of meanings within the dictionary. This mirrors the hypertextual nature of modern digital dictionaries.

D. Examples and Citations ​

  • Quotations (e.g., from Jer. Taylor, Smollett, Cowper) provide historical usage examples, grounding definitions in literary or authoritative sources. For instance:
    • "He had received a cross answer from his mistress." (Jer. Taylor) illustrates the adjectival use of cross as "angry."
    • "The cross-country ride." (Cowper) shows the adverbial phrase cross-country.

E. Visual and Spatial Language ​

  • Some definitions rely on spatial metaphors (e.g., cross bedding as "oblique lamination") or mechanical descriptions (cross axle with "cranks set at 90°"), reflecting the dictionary’s role in standardizing technical terminology.

4. Significance of the Excerpt ​

A. Linguistic and Historical Value ​

  • The excerpt is a snapshot of early 20th-century English, preserving terms that have since fallen out of use (e.g., cross forked in heraldry) or changed meaning.
  • It reflects Webster’s prescriptive approach to language, where definitions aim to fix meanings rather than describe fluid usage (contrasting with modern descriptive lexicography).

B. Cultural and Scientific Insights ​

  • The definitions reveal how language encodes cultural practices:
    • Cross marriages (e.g., between siblings’ spouses) highlights anthropological kinship structures.
    • Cross fertilization shows the intersection of biology and agriculture, a key concept in Darwinian evolution.
    • Cross fire (military) and cross sea (nautical) reflect practical, life-or-death contexts where precision matters.

C. The Dictionary as a Literary Object ​

  • While not "literature," the dictionary’s style is itself a genre—one that balances authority (via citations) with utility (via concise definitions).
  • The accumulation of disparate knowledge in one entry creates a collage effect, suggesting how language connects disparate human activities.

D. Digital Age Relevance ​

  • Project Gutenberg’s digitization of this text allows for computational analysis (e.g., tracking how definitions of cross have changed over time).
  • The excerpt’s interdisciplinary scope foreshadows modern linked data (e.g., Wikidata), where terms are connected across fields.

5. Close Reading of Selected Definitions ​

To illustrate the excerpt’s depth, let’s analyze a few entries:

A. "Cross answer" (from Jer. Taylor) ​

  • Text: "He had received a cross answer from his mistress."
  • Analysis:
    • Adjectival use: Cross means "angry" or "irritable" (archaic usage).
    • Gender dynamics: The phrase "his mistress" (likely meaning a female superior, not a romantic partner in 17th-century usage) hints at social hierarchies.
    • Literary context: Jeremy Taylor (1613–1667) was a clergyman; his use of cross may reflect moral or theological connotations (e.g., suffering as a "cross to bear").

B. "Cross bedding" (Geology) ​

  • Text: "Oblique lamination of horizontal beds."
  • Analysis:
    • Technical precision: Describes sedimentary layers deposited at an angle to the main stratum, often due to water or wind currents.
    • Implied process: Suggests dynamic natural forces (e.g., rivers, tides) shaping the earth.
    • Contrast with other terms: Unlike cross furrow (agricultural), this is a natural phenomenon, showing how cross applies to both human-made and organic patterns.

C. "Cross fertilization" ​

  • Text: "The fertilization of the female products of one physiological individual by the male products of another."
  • Analysis:
    • Biological significance: A key concept in genetics and evolution (later central to Mendel’s work).
    • Metaphorical potential: The term is now used figuratively (e.g., "cross-fertilization of ideas").
    • Cultural impact: Reflects the scientific revolution of the 19th century, where such terms entered common parlance.

D. "Cross purpose" ​

  • Text: "See Cross-purpose, in the Vocabulary."
  • Analysis:
    • At odds: Cross-purpose means miscommunication or conflict (e.g., "working at cross purposes").
    • Structural note: The dictionary’s self-referentiality (directing readers to another entry) mirrors how language is interconnected.

6. Conclusion: Why This Excerpt Matters ​

This dictionary entry is more than a dry list of definitions—it is:

  1. A microcosm of human knowledge, showing how a single word (cross) threads through law, science, art, and daily life.
  2. A historical document, preserving the language and concerns of the early 20th century.
  3. A testament to the complexity of language, where a word’s meaning is context-dependent and evolving.
  4. A precursor to modern information systems, where hyperlinks and databases now perform the cross-referencing that Webster’s did manually.

In essence, the excerpt embodies the dictionary’s dual role: as a tool for clarity and a mirror of culture. It reminds us that even the most utilitarian texts can reveal profound insights about how we organize—and are organized by—language.