New American Dictionary

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32394, 5 September 1970, Page 6

New American Dictionary

A newly-published dictionary, 17 years in the compiling by United States editors and scholars, is providing many surprises for its readers.

The second edition of “Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language,” based on the foundation laid down by the nineteenth century American lexicographer Noah Webster, but not related to any other Webster dictionary, includes not only all important idiomatic expressions, colloquialisms and slang but thousands of Amerir+misms not recognised as s’.ch by Americans using tbrto. Among them an such familiar words as “telephone,” “lipstick," "ifwnigration,” “electrician,'' “downgrade,” “geriatrics” and “demoralize” (coined by Noah Webster himself and meaning to corrupt the morals of, to deprave). Mr David B. Guralnik, editor in chief of the dictionary, points out that not all Americanisms originated in the United States.. Some are old words to which Americans have given new meanings. One such word is “tough,” a Middle English adjective meaning strong but pliant. As an Americanism, however, it means overly aggressive or brutal or rough. Americans are inventive, says Mr Guralnik, and they apply old words to new situations When they have done ft often enough, they invest the old word with new meanings.