Editing Merriam-Webster (section)

{{Short description|American publisher and dictionary}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox publisher
| name         = Merriam-Webster, Incorporated
| image        = Merriam-Webster logo.svg
| parent       = [[Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]]
| founded      = {{start date and age|1831}}
| founder      = [[George Merriam]], Charles Merriam
| country      = United States
| headquarters = 47 Federal Street,<br>[[Springfield, Massachusetts]], U.S.
| publications = [[reference work|Reference books]], [[list of online dictionaries|online dictionaries]]
| owner        = [[Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]]<!--; [[Jacqui Safra]]-->
| url          = {{URL|merriam-webster.com}}
}}

'''Merriam-Webster, Incorporated''' is an [[list of companies of the United States by state|American company]] that publishes [[reference work|reference books]] and is mostly known for [[Webster's Dictionary|its dictionaries]]. It is the oldest dictionary publisher in the United States.<ref>{{cite news |last=Correa|first=Carla |date=2021-11-03 |title=Attention, New Englanders: Fluffernutter Is Now a Word |language=en-US |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://nytimes.com/2021/11/03/dining/fluffernutter-dictionary.html |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=2021-11-05}}</ref>

In 1831, [[George Merriam|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 ''[[Webster's Dictionary#Noah Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language|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, Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, in 1982.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia
|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Merriam-Webster-dictionary 
|title=Merriam-Webster Dictionary 
|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica Online
|access-date=June 24, 2015}}</ref>