The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary: Section S — Reading Notes

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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 526,644

Reading time 2290 min

Text sections 70

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An editorial note on the letter S entry in the 1913 Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, examining its phonetic, etymological, and structural patterns as a microcosm of lexicographic method.

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Christians in the early church who held this opinion, and certain Christians, esp. the Seventh-day Baptists, hold it now.

2. A strict observer of the Sabbath.

Sab`ba*ta"ri*an, a. Of or pertaining to the Sabbath, or the tenets of Sabbatarians.

Sab`ba*ta"ri*an*ism (?), n. The tenets of Sabbatarians. Bp. Ward (1673).

Sab"bath (?), n. [OE. sabat, sabbat, F. sabbat, L. sabbatum, Gr. sa`bbaton, fr. Heb. shabbth, fr. shbath to rest from labor. Cf. Sabbat.] 1. A season or day of rest; one day in seven appointed for rest or worship, the observance of which was enjoined upon the Jews in the Decalogue, and has been continued by the Christian church with a transference of the day observed from the last to the first day of the week, which is called also Lord's Day.

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

2. The seventh year, observed among the Israelites as one of rest and festival. Lev. xxv. 4.

3. Fig.: A time of rest or repose; intermission of pain, effort, sorrow, or the like.

Peaceful sleep out the sabbath of the tomb.

Sabbath breaker, one who violates the law of the Sabbath. -- Sabbath breaking, the violation of the law of the Sabbath. -- Sabbath-day's journey, a distance of about a mile, which, under Rabbinical law, the Jews were allowed to travel on the Sabbath.

Syn. -- Sabbath, Sunday. Sabbath is not strictly synonymous with Sunday. Sabbath denotes the institution; Sunday is the name of the first day of the week. The Sabbath of the Jews is on Saturday, and the Sabbath of most Christians on Sunday. In New England, the first day of the week has been called "the Sabbath," to mark it as holy time; Sunday is the word more commonly used, at present, in all parts of the United States, as it is in England. "So if we will be the children of our heavenly Father, we must be careful to keep the Christian Sabbath day, which is the Sunday." Homilies.

Sab"bath*less, a. Without Sabbath, or intermission of labor; hence, without respite or rest. Bacon.

{ Sab*bat"ic (?), Sab*bat"ic*al (?) }, a. [Gr. &?;: cf. F. sabbatique.] Of or pertaining to the Sabbath; resembling the Sabbath; enjoying or bringing an intermission of labor.

Sabbatical year (Jewish Antiq.), every seventh year, in which the Israelites were commanded to suffer their fields and vineyards to rest, or lie without tillage.

Sab"ba*tism (?), n. [L. sabbatismus, Gr. &?;, fr. &?; to keep the Sabbath: cf. F. sabbatisme. See Sabbath.] Intermission of labor, as upon the Sabbath; rest. Dr. H. More.

Sab"ba*ton (?), n. [Cf. Sp. zapaton, a large shoe, F. sabot a wooden shoe.] A round-toed, armed covering for the feet, worn during a part of the sixteenth century in both military and civil dress.

Sa*be"an (?), a. & n. Same as Sabian.

Sa"be*ism (?), n. Same as Sabianism.

||Sa*bel"la (?), n. [NL., fr. L. sabulum gravel.] (Zoöl.) A genus of ||tubicolous annelids having a circle of plumose gills around the head.

Sa*bel"li*an (?), a. Pertaining to the doctrines or tenets of Sabellius. See Sabellian, n.

Sa*bel"li*an (?), n. (Eccl. Hist.) A follower of Sabellius, a presbyter of Ptolemais in the third century, who maintained that there is but one person in the Godhead, and that the Son and Holy Spirit are only different powers, operations, or offices of the one God the Father.

Sa*bel"li*an*ism (?), n. (Eccl.) The doctrines or tenets of Sabellius. See Sabellian, n.

Sa*bel"loid (?), a. [Sabella + -oid.] (Zoöl.) Like, or related to, the genus Sabella. -- Sa*bel"loid, n.

{ Sa"ber, Sa"bre } (?), n. [F. sabre, G. säbel; of uncertain origin; cf. Hung. száblya, Pol. szabla, Russ. sabla, and L. Gr. zabo`s crooked, curved.] A sword with a broad and heavy blade, thick at the back, and usually more or less curved like a scimiter; a cavalry sword.

Saber fish, or Sabre fish (Zoöl.), the cutlass fish.

{ Sa"ber, Sa"bre }, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sabered (?) or Sabred (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Sabering or Sabring (&?;).] [Cf. F. sabrer.] To strike, cut, or kill with a saber; to cut down, as with a saber.

You send troops to saber and bayonet us into submission.

{ Sa"ber*bill`, Sa"bre*bill` }, n. (Zoöl.) The curlew.

Sa"bi*an (?), a. [L. Sabaeus.] [Written also Sabean, and Sabæan.] 1. Of or pertaining to Saba in Arabia, celebrated for producing aromatic plants.

2. Relating to the religion of Saba, or to the worship of the heavenly bodies.

Sa"bi*an, n. An adherent of the Sabian religion; a worshiper of the heavenly bodies. [Written also Sabæan, and Sabean.]

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The entry for the letter S in the 1913 Webster's Unabridged Dictionary opens with a detailed phonetic description, noting that S is "often called a sibilant, in allusion to its hissing sound" and distinguishing its two principal sounds: "a mere hissing" and "a vocal hissing (the same as that of z)." This precision reflects the dictionary's aim to codify pronunciation, a task complicated by the letter's variable sound in different positions. The entry also traces S's lineage from Egyptian through Phoenician, Greek, and Latin, grounding the alphabet in a historical continuum. Such an opening establishes the dictionary as both a practical reference and a repository of linguistic history.

Phonetic Precision and the Sibilant Spectrum

The S entry devotes considerable space to the letter's phonetic behavior, specifying that it "generally has its hissing sound at the beginning of words, but in the middle and at the end of words its sound is determined by usage." This acknowledgment of variability—including the sounds of sh and zh in words like sure and measure—shows a nuanced understanding of English pronunciation. The entry also notes silent S in words like isle and débris, and the digraph sh. This attention to phonetic detail is characteristic of the 1913 edition, which aimed to represent spoken English systematically. The inclusion of a cross-reference to the Guide to Pronunciation (§§ 255-261) underscores the dictionary's role as a pedagogical tool, guiding users beyond the single entry.

Etymological Webs: S's Kinship with Other Letters

The entry asserts that "S is etymologically most nearly related to c, z, t, and r," providing examples such as ice and Old English is, henc e and hennes, and reason and Latin ratio. These pairings illustrate historical sound changes and cognate relationships, offering a mini-lesson in comparative linguistics. The dictionary thus functions not merely as a list of definitions but as a map of language evolution. The etymological notes are concise yet dense, inviting readers to trace connections across languages. This approach reflects the 19th-century philological tradition that informed Noah Webster's and later Noah Porter's editorial vision, where each entry is a node in a broader historical network.

Grammatical Affixes: The Suffix -s and Its Variants

The entry includes a detailed treatment of the suffix -s, distinguishing its three functions: forming plurals ("roads"), third-person singular verbs ("falls"), and adverbial forms ("towards"). It traces the plural suffix to Old English -as and the verbal suffix to -ð, while noting the possessive -'s derives from Old English -es. The contraction 's for is or has is illustrated with a Shakespeare quotation: "My heart 's subdued." This section demonstrates the dictionary's systematic coverage of morphology, treating S not only as a letter but as a grammatical marker. The inclusion of historical forms and contractions shows an awareness of language change and usage, making the entry a resource for both synchronic and diachronic study.

Readers approaching this section should note that it represents only a fraction of the full dictionary—the letter S alone spans hundreds of pages. The entry for S itself, however, encapsulates the dictionary's method: precise phonetic description, historical etymology, and grammatical analysis. For those interested in lexicography or the history of English, this entry offers a concentrated example of how a 1913 reference work codified the language. The cross-references and etymological notes reward careful reading, revealing the interconnectedness of words and sounds.

Turning to the S section, I remembered my father’s old dictionary, its spine cracked at “serendipity.” The quiet patience of those columns felt familiar. Reading the editorial notes on phonetics brought back the same hushed awe I felt with Roget's Thesaurus — A Closer Reading, that sense of watching a mind organize the world’s chaos into something almost gentle.