The Book, Cat, & Cat Book Lovers Almanac

of historical trivia regarding books, cats, and other animals. Actually this blog has evolved so that it is described better as a blog about cats in history and culture. And we take as a theme the advice of Aldous Huxley: If you want to be a writer, get some cats. Don't forget to see the archived articles linked at the bottom of the page.

April 14, 2014

April 14, 1828

Cat
1. A name applied to certain species of carnivorous quadrupeds, of the genus Felis. The domestic cat needs no description. It is a deceitful animal, and when enraged, extremely spiteful. It is kept in houses, chiefly for the purpose of catching rats and mice. The wild cat is much larger than the domestic cat. It is a strong, ferocious animal, living in the forest, and very destructive to poultry and lambs.
The wild cat of Europe is of the same species with the domestic cat; the catamount, of North America, is much larger and a distinct species.


The above is the full and exact entry under the 1st meaning of "cat" in the 1828,  in the first edition of  the now famous,  A Dictionary of the English Language by Noah Webster, copyrighted on April 14, 1828. Actually I used a reprint from 1832, but a reprint would not have changed. 

I dream of a time when driverless cars are very common, that we could stop all use of pesticides, and rely on cats again for their age-old job.  

Cat  A name applied to certain species of carnivorous quadrupeds, of the genus Felis. 

The domestic cat needs no description. 

It is a deceitful animal, and when enraged, extremely spiteful. 

It is kept in houses, chiefly for the purpose of catching rats and mice.

I wonder how many other words in Webster's first dictionary include in their definition "needs no description."

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