Among the unsurprising words whose earliest known occurrence dates to 1787 are constitutionality, checks and balances, and federalism. And one of the people who might have heard those words used was the young Noah Webster. Although not a delegate to the Convention, he was there in Philadelphia to witness the events. At age 29, he was already a highly influential political pamphleteer, whose 1785 tract "Sketches of American Policy" was one of the most widely read political pamphlets of the day advocating for many of the principles that were to become part of the Constitution. Historians note that George Washington paid a visit to the young man in his apartment, and some historians also believe that Webster played an influential role from the sidelines throughout the Convention.

Noah's first dictionary was still nearly twenty years in the future, but he was already an accomplished student of the language, and among the other words that he might have noticed for the first time that year are clodhopping, nervosity ("the quality or state of being nervous"), spanking (as in "spanking new"), thud, and tintinnabulary.

For a complete list of the 82 terms that made their print debut in 1787, select the Collegiate Dictionary, click on Advanced Search, type 1787 in the Date field, and hit Search.