The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary: Section C — Themes and Context

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Authors: Project Gutenberg, Webster, Noah, 1758-1843 Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 1996 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: English language -- Dictionaries Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

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Words 430,183

Reading time 1871 min

Text sections 55

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An editorial note on the authorial choices in the 'C' section of the 1913 Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, focusing on the lexicographer's diction, etymological structure, and illustrative quotations.

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2. A fall of the voice in reading or speaking, especially at the end of a sentence.

3. A rhythmical modulation of the voice or of any sound; as, music of bells in cadence sweet.

Blustering winds, which all night long Had roused the sea, now with hoarse cadence lull Seafaring men o'erwatched. Milton.

The accents . . . were in passion's tenderest cadence. Sir W. Scott.

4. Rhythmical flow of language, in prose or verse.

Golden cadence of poesy. Shak.

If in any composition much attention was paid to the flow of the rhythm, it was said (at least in the 14th and 15th centuries) to be "prosed in faire cadence." Dr. Guest.

5. (Her.) See Cadency.

6. (Man.) Harmony and proportion in motions, as of a well-managed horse.

7. (Mil.) A uniform time and place in marching.

8. (Mus.) (a) The close or fall of a strain; the point of rest, commonly reached by the immediate succession of the tonic to the dominant chord. (b) A cadenza, or closing embellishment; a pause before the end of a strain, which the performer may fill with a flight of fancy.

Imperfect cadence. (Mus.) See under Imperfect.

Ca"dence, v. t. To regulate by musical measure.

These parting numbers, cadenced by my grief. Philips.

Ca"den*cy (?), n. Descent of related families; distinction between the members of a family according to their ages.

Marks of cadency (Her.), bearings indicating the position of the bearer as older or younger son, or as a descendant of an older or younger son. See Difference (Her.).

Ca*dene" (?), n. [Cf. F. cadŔne.] A species of inferior carpet imported from the Levant. McElrath.

Ca"dent (?), a. [L. cadens, -entis, p. pr. of cadere to fall.] Falling. [R.] "Cadent tears." Shak.

Ca*den"za (?), n. [It.] (Mus.) A parenthetic flourish or flight of ornament in the course of a piece, commonly just before the final cadence.

Ca"der (?), n. See Cadre.

Ca*det" (?), n. [F. cadet a younger or the youngest son or brother, dim. fr. L. caput head; i. e., a smaller head of the family, after the first or eldest. See Chief, and cf. Cad.]

1. The younger of two brothers; a younger brother or son; the youngest son.

The cadet of an ancient and noble family. Wood.

2. (Mil.) (a) A gentleman who carries arms in a regiment, as a volunteer, with a view of acquiring military skill and obtaining a commission. (b) A young man in training for military or naval service; esp. a pupil in a military or naval school, as at West Point, Annapolis, or Woolwich.

&fist; All the undergraduates at Annapolis are Naval cadets. The distinction between Cadet midshipmen and Cadet engineers was abolished by Act of Congress in 1882.

Ca*det"ship (?), n. The position, rank, or commission of a cadet; as, to get a cadetship.

{ Ca*dew" (?), Cade"worm` (?), } n. A caddice. See Caddice.

Cadge (?), v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Cadged (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Cadging.] [Cf. Scot. cache, caich, cadge, to toss, drive, OE. cachen to drive, catch, caggen to bind, or perh. E. cage. Cf. Cadger.]

1. To carry, as a burden. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.] Halliwell.

2. To hawk or peddle, as fish, poultry, etc. [Prov.]

3. To intrude or live on another meanly; to beg. [Prov. or Slang, Eng.] Wright.

Cadge, n. [Cf. 2d Cadger.] (Hawking) A circular frame on which cadgers carry hawks for sale.

Cadg"er (?), n. [From Cadge, v. t., cf. Codger.]

1. A packman or itinerant huckster.

2. One who gets his living by trickery or begging. [Prov. or Slang] "The gentleman cadger." Dickens.

Cadg"er, n. [OF. cagier one who catches hawks. Cf. Cage.] (Hawking) One who carries hawks on a cadge.

Cadg"y (?), a. Cheerful or mirthful, as after good eating or drinking; also, wanton. [Scot. & Prov. Eng.]

Ca"di (?), n. [Turk. See Alcalde.] An inferior magistrate or judge among the Mohammedans, usually the judge of a town or village.

{ Cad"ie, Cad"die (?), } n. A Scotch errand boy, porter, or messenger. [Written also cady.]

Every Scotchman, from the peer to the cadie. Macaulay.

Ca`di*les"ker (?), n. [Ar. q&amacr;d.&imacr; judge + al'sker the army, Per. leshker.] A chief judge in the Turkish empire, so named originally because his jurisdiction extended to the cases of soldiers, who are now tried only by their own officers.

Ca*dil"lac (?), n. [Prob. from Cadillac, a French town.] A large pear, shaped like a flattened top, used chiefly for cooking. Johnson.

Cad"is (?), n. [F.] A kind of coarse serge.

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The 'C' section of the 1913 Webster's Unabridged Dictionary reveals a lexicographer attentive to both the roots and the reach of English. Entries such as 'combustion' and 'come' show a methodical layering: a concise definition, a chemical or grammatical subclass, and then a historical or literary quotation. The entry for 'come' runs to nearly a column, tracing its Indo-European lineage through Old English cuman to Latin venire and Greek roots, then illustrating its semantic range with citations from Shakespeare, Tennyson, the Bible, and Lowell. This structure—etymology, definition, then usage—reflects a deliberate pedagogical aim, not merely a list of meanings.

Etymological Architecture

Webster's method in this section is to open each entry with a bracketed etymology, often listing cognates across Germanic and Romance languages. For 'come', the chain runs from Old English cuman to Old Saxon kuman, Dutch komen, Old High German queman, Gothic giman, and Latin venire, with a cross-reference to the root gam in Sanskrit. This comparative approach is not merely decorative; it grounds the English word in a broader linguistic history. The lexicographer also notes phonetic shifts, as in the remark that 'Am come' is used 'instead of have come, esp. in poetry,' showing an awareness of grammatical variation. Such details suggest a work designed for the serious student of language, not a casual user.

Illustrative Quotations as Evidence

Webster's choice of quotations is notably literary and biblical. The entry for 'combustion' cites John Milton's Paradise Lost ('There [were] great combustions and divisions among the heads of the university') and John Dryden's 'But say from whence this new combustion springs.' For 'come', the range is wider: Shakespeare's King John ('Look, who comes yonder?'), Tennyson's In Memoriam ('I did not come to curse thee'), and the King James Bible ('Thy kingdom come'). These are not random; they illustrate different senses—physical approach, arrival, metaphorical coming. The inclusion of a line from James Russell Lowell ('They were cried / In meeting, come next Sunday') shows an ear for colloquial American usage, a rare nod to contemporary speech in a dictionary of this era.

Grammatical and Usage Notes

Webster frequently inserts grammatical observations that go beyond simple definition. Under 'come', he notes that the verb 'is used with other verbs almost as an auxiliary, indicative of approach to the action or state expressed by the verb; as, how came you to do it?' He also remarks on the imperative use: 'Come, in the imperative, is used to excite attention, or to invite to motion or joint action.' A separate note explains that 'Come may properly be used (instead of go) in speaking of a movement hence, or away, when there is reference to an approach to the person addressed.' These asides reveal a lexicographer who sees his role as a guide to correct and effective usage, not merely a recorder of meanings. The entry for 'combustion' similarly includes a chemical subclassification ('Supporter of combustion') with a definition and example, blending scientific precision with linguistic description.

Voice and Lexicographical Persona

The dictionary's voice is authoritative yet occasionally personal. Webster uses first-person plural ('We do not necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition') only in the front matter, but within the entries, the tone is consistently declarative. The entry for 'come' includes a rare evaluative comment: 'The verb to be gives a clearer adjectival significance to the participle as expressing a state or condition of the subject, while the auxiliary have expresses simply the completion of the action.' This is not a neutral definition but a pedagogical judgment. Similarly, the note that 'Come is used colloquially, with reference to a definite future time approaching, without an auxiliary' marks a register distinction. Such choices shape the dictionary as a teaching text, one that assumes a reader curious about why words work as they do.

Readers approaching this section should attend to the interplay between etymology, definition, and quotation. Webster's dictionary is not a silent list; it argues for a particular view of language as historically grounded, grammatically precise, and literarily rich. The 'C' entries reward slow reading, especially the longer ones like 'come', where the lexicographer's craft is most visible. For those interested in the history of English lexicography, this text offers a direct view of a pivotal moment in American dictionary-making.

There’s an odd tenderness in how the old editors chose words for “C”—each entry a small room. It reminds me of sitting with definitions of “cavalry” and “cartridge,” then later finding that A Military Dictionary and Gazetteer Comprising ancient and modern military technical terms, historical accounts of all North American Indians, as well as ancient warlike — Text and Context beside it, war and words quietly sharing a shelf, like old neighbors who never quite spoke.