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Look up words in Webster 1828 dictionary and analyze how historical meanings illuminate scripture. Use when studying Restoration-era vocabulary, when a word's historical meaning may differ from modern usage, or when the user asks about word origins.
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基于 SOC 职业分类
| name | webster-analysis |
| description | Look up words in Webster 1828 dictionary and analyze how historical meanings illuminate scripture. Use when studying Restoration-era vocabulary, when a word's historical meaning may differ from modern usage, or when the user asks about word origins. |
| argument-hint | [word or phrase to analyze] |
Noah Webster published his American Dictionary of the English Language in 1828 — two years before the Book of Mormon was published and two years before the Church was organized. It captures the precise meaning of English words as Joseph Smith and his contemporaries understood them.
When a scripture uses a word like "intelligence," "virtue," "charity," or "glory," the 1828 definition often reveals meaning that modern usage has shifted away from.
The webster server carries two dictionaries under truthful names:
webster_define) — the genuine 1828 American Dictionary, the Restoration-era authority. This is the edition for scripture word-work.webster1913_define) — Webster's Revised Unabridged, 85 years later. Useful for tracking how a meaning drifted across the 19th century, NOT a witness of Restoration-era usage.History note: some digital "Webster 1828" datasets actually serve 1913 text mislabeled as 1828 — this toolkit hit exactly that. Any study quoting "Webster 1828" from before that date needs re-verification. Verify the edition of a source, not just the quote.
define to see 1828 → 1913 → modern in one call — how a word moved over two centuriesUse the mcp__webster__webster_define tool (or mcp__webster__define for the full 1828 → 1913 → modern comparison):
mcp__webster__webster_define("intelligence")
Note what's different. Is the 1828 meaning broader? Narrower? Entirely different? Did the 1913 already lose it?
Re-read the scripture with the 1828 meaning in mind. Does the passage open up?
Example (verified against the genuine 1828, 2026-06-09):
Use the webster_define result as a lens to search for other scriptures that use the same word. Does the 1828 meaning illuminate those passages too?
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Broader than modern | "Virtue" = strength, acting power (Luke 8:46 — "virtue had gone out of me") |
| More concrete than modern | "Charity" = "that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favorably of their fellow men, and to do them good" |
| Theological precision | "Spirit" sense 5 = "the intelligent, immaterial and immortal part of human beings" |
| A being, not just a quality | "Intelligence" sense 4 = "A spiritual being; as a created intelligence" |
When you discover a significant Webster 1828 insight, it often deserves its own section in the study document. Don't just footnote it — let it reshape how you read the passage.
The insight from Webster 1828 is the starting point, not the endpoint. Follow it into the scriptures and see where it leads.
Webster 1828 is the model MCP tool in this project. It provides a discrete, authoritative answer that you then reason about in context. It doesn't replace deep reading — it enriches it. Every tool in the project should aspire to work this way: return something specific and trustworthy, then get out of the way so the real thinking can happen.
Verify scripture and talk quotes against actual source files. Enforces read-before-quoting, the cite count rule, and the pre-publish checklist. Load when writing ANY document that cites scriptures, conference talks, transcripts, or other verifiable sources — studies, evaluations, lessons, guides, docs, everything.
Look up which General Conference talks, Journal of Discourses entries, and other sources cite a particular scripture verse using the BYU Scripture Citation Index (scriptures.byu.edu). Use when you want to know who has taught about a verse, how frequently a verse appears in conference, or to discover that a verse has surprisingly little modern commentary.
Stress-test the study's arguments, assumptions, and gaps before finalizing. Asks 'what are we missing?', 'where are we overreaching?', and 'does the text actually say what we think it says?' Use between gap analysis and first draft to sharpen the study.
Telescope into a specific scripture passage or narrow topic. Follow every footnote, trace every cross-reference, read full chapters for context. Produces intermediate findings in a working document. Use for focused, depth-first study on a single text or concept.
Six text-checkable properties for evaluating non-canonical sources (books, articles, transcripts, web content) before citing or recommending them. Loaded passively whenever the agent is asked to assess, summarize, recommend, or quote from a source outside the LDS canon. Names what the agent CAN check (correspondence, coherence, canonical fit, pillars-rhetoric, mark-keeping, steelman) and what only the user with the Spirit can check (witness, soul-fruit, animating spirit, personal stewardship-fit, override). Grounded in study/discernment-and-the-comprehending-eye.md.
Run the publish script to convert study documents to public HTML, then git add, commit, and push. Use when the user says publish, commit, push, or asks to share their work.