Noah Webster

Webster, Noah (1758–1843), U.S. lexicographer whose works—such as The Elementary Spelling Book, called the “Blue-Backed Speller” (1829; earlier versions, 1783–87)—helped standardize American spelling. He also compiled a grammar (1784) and a reader (1785). Working on dictionaries from 1803, he published An American Dictionary of the English Language (1812), with 70,000 entries and 12,000 new definitions. Today his name is often applied to dictionaries that are in no way based on his work.

See also: Dictionary.