Merriam-Webster

Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, is an American company that publishes reference books, especially dictionaries.

In 1831, George and Charles Merriam founded the company as G & C Merriam Co. in Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1843, after Noah Webster died, the company bought the rights to An American Dictionary of the English Language from Webster's estate. All Merriam-Webster dictionaries trace their lineage to this source.

In 1964, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., acquired Merriam-Webster, Inc., as a subsidiary. The company adopted its current name in 1982.

Origins

Noah Webster

In 1806, Webster published his first dictionary, A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language. In 1807 Webster started two decades of intensive work to expand his publication into a fully comprehensive dictionary, An American Dictionary of the English Language. To help him trace the etymology of words, Webster learned 26 languages. Webster hoped to standardize American speech, since Americans in different parts of the country used somewhat different vocabularies and spelled, pronounced, and used words differently.

Miriam Webster

Miriam Webster is an Australian Pentecostal worship leader and contemporary singer/songwriter. She is most well known for her classical worship songs with Hillsong Music Australia. Miriam won A.C.E State Student music award as a teenager for singing at the convention in Queensland, Australia. While staying in Sydney in1996 she joined her friend who attended Hills Christian Life Centre which is known today as Hillsong Church to go to a Friday night youth service. Miriam was asked to sing this night as they were looking for an item. Miriam stepped up and sang a song she had penned years before called 'Fall upon your knees'. She joined the worship team months later and from there she has led worship in services, rallies, connect groups and conferences. She has toured Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the United States, and recently released her solo album Made Me Glad.

She served with the Hillsong Church in Sydney from 1996 to 2007 and was featured on numerous Hillsong Music praise-and-worship albums since 1997. Among her notable congregational songs are "Dwelling Places", "Made Me Glad", "Welcome in this place" and "You are faithful". Miriam Webster also led worship with Steve Mcpherson and Darlene Zschech at the 25th Hillsong Conference Classic Medlies.