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Putnam, Rufus 1738-1824.

American Revolutionary soldier who organized (1775) the batteries on Dorchester Heights that eventually forced the British to evacuate Boston.

Put·nam

(pŭtnəm), Israel 1718-1790.

American soldier active in the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. During the Battle of Bunker Hill (June 17, 1775), he supposedly issued the order, “Don't one of you shoot until you see the whites of their eyes.”

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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