Word Origin Atlas

Exact historical dictionary sense

Importance in Webster's 1913 dictionary

The 1913 record labels importance as noun. Its source-bounded etymology and selected historical definition appear below.

WEBSTER 1913noun
Importance

[F. importance. See Important.]

Cross-verified historical sense
The source text may be outdated. The page preserves that historical boundary.
Cross-verified 1913 record
Headwordimportance
Part of speechnoun
Historical etymology[F. importance. See Important.]
Selected historical definitionThe quality or state of being important; consequence; weight; moment; significance.
Signed record IDwebster1913-importance-noun-ade9589cfdb7
Source locatorCIDE.I, paragraph 1977; Gutenberg eBook 664
Edition-scoped answerNot earliest-attestation proofNot modern consensus
Independent historical textProject Gutenberg section 664Signed structural record sourceGNU GCIDE 0.54 archive
Quick answer

In Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), "importance" is labeled noun. Its etymology is recorded as: "[F. importance. See Important.]" The selected historical definition says: "The quality or state of being important; consequence; weight; moment; significance."

Project Gutenberg Webster 1913 plus signed GNU GCIDE 0.54 Exact cross-verified historical record reviewed 2026-10-04

What this answer proves

One named sense in one historical dictionary edition.

The answer reports the selected headword, part of speech, etymology, definition, and source locator as transcribed in the cross-verified 1913 record.

Evidence boundaryIt does not establish the earliest attestation or a complete borrowing chain.It does not claim current scholarly consensus or a modern dictionary definition.Historical dictionary text may be obsolete, incomplete, inaccurate, or offensive by modern standards.

More released I records

Every card owns a different source record and historical sense.

noun

Information

[F., fr. L. informatio representation, conception. See Inform, v. t.]

Webster 1913 exact recordnoun

Image

[F., fr. L. imago, imaginis, from the root of imitari to imitate. See Imitate, and cf. Imagine.]

Webster 1913 exact recordverb

Imagine

[F. imaginer, L. imaginari, p. p. imaginatus, fr. imago image. See Image.]

Webster 1913 exact recordverb

Impact

[L. impactus, p. p. of impingere to push, strike against. See Impinge.]

Webster 1913 exact recordadjective

Impossible

[F., fr. L. impossibilis; pref. im- not + possibilis possible. See Possible.]

Webster 1913 exact record

Browse released I records - browse all historical records.