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What is covered in this Q & A? This Q & A includes brief answers to questions that are frequently asked about Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. It is intended to offer a quick overview of the company, its history, and its products. If you would like more information about the topics covered here, use the text links to view more detailed articles.

What is Merriam-Webster? Merriam-Webster is America's foremost publisher of language-related reference works. The company publishes a diverse array of print and electronic products, including Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, Tenth Edition, America's best-selling desk dictionary, and Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged.

Does Merriam-Webster have any connection to Noah Webster? Merriam-Webster can

When was Merriam-Webster founded? In 1831, brothers George and Charles Merriam opened a printing and bookselling operation in Springfield, Massachusetts which they named G. & C. Merriam Co. The company, which was renamed Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, in 1982, has been in continuous operation since that time. For more information on the history of Merriam-Webster, see the on-line articles Noah Webster and America's First Dictionary,Merriam-Webster Continues Noah's Legacy, and Merriam-Webster's Ongoing Commitment.

How long has Merriam-Webster been publishing dictionaries? The first Merriam-Webster dictionary was issued on September 24, 1847. It cost $6.00 per copy and earned the praise of such notable figures as President James K. Polk and General Zachary Taylor. For more information, see the on-line article Merriam-Webster Continues Noah's Legacy.

Which dictionary is used in Merriam-Webster's area on the WWW? The WWWebster Dictionary is based on Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, Tenth Edition. The on-line dictionary includes the main A-Z listing of theCollegiate® Dictionary, as well as the Abbreviations, Foreign Words and Phrases, Biographical Names, and Geographical Names sections of that book. It also includes 1,000 illustrations and 25 tables. Selected sections of theCollegiate® Dictionary, notably the Signs and Symbols section, are omitted from the WWWebster Dictionarybecause they include special characters and symbols that cannot readily be reproduced in HTML.

Are all Webster's dictionaries alike? No. After Noah Webster's death in 1843 and throughout the 19th century, Merriam-Webster produced the finest American dictionaries, building the reputation of the name Webster's to a point where it became a byword for quality dictionaries. But in the late 1800s and early 1900s, legal difficulties concerning the copyright and trademark of the name Webster arose, and eventually many different publishers -- some rather unscrupulous -- began putting dictionaries on the market under the Webster's name.

The net effect of the proliferation of Webster dictionaries is a reference-book marketplace in which consumers are unaware of or confused about what differentiates one Webster from another. In an attempt to draw attention to the issue, in 1982 the company changed its name from G. & C. Merriam Company to Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. In 1991, the company reinforced that move by introducing the phrase "Not just Webster. Merriam-Webster.^TM " to further identify and distinguish its products and to place greater emphasis on a tradition of quality dictionary-making that we feel is uniquely ours.

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