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Arthur, Chester Alan 1829-1886.

The 21st president of the United States (1881-1885), who became president after the assassination of James A. Garfield. He supported the 1883 Pendleton Act, which created the Civil Service Commission to regulate federal appointments.

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Chester A. Arthur

1881 portrait by Ole Peter Hansen Balling (1823-1906)

Ar·thur

(ärthər)

A legendary British hero, said to have been king of the Britons in the sixth century AD and to have held court at Camelot.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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