The name Webster's Dictionary may refer to any of the line of dictionaries first developed by Noah Webster in the early nineteenth century and numerous unrelated dictionaries that adopted Webster's name just to share his prestige. The term "Webster's" has become a generic trademark in the U.S. for dictionaries of the English language. For this reason the term may otherwise refer to any dictionary at all that chooses to use the name. Also, "Webster's" is often used to refer to a generic dictionary. ^[1] However, the only succeeding dictionaries that can trace their lineage to the one established by Noah Webster are those now published by Merriam-Webster.