<P> The G. & C. Merriam Company lost its right to exclusive use of the name "Webster" after a series of lawsuits placed that name in public domain . Its name was changed to "Merriam - Webster, Incorporated", with the publication of Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary in 1983 . Previous publications had used "A Merriam - Webster Dictionary" as a subtitle for many years and will be found on older editions . </P> <P> The company has been a subsidiary of Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1964 . </P> <P> In 1996, Merriam - Webster launched its first website, which provided free access to an online dictionary and thesaurus . </P> <P> Merriam - Webster has also published dictionaries of synonyms, English usage, geography (Merriam - Webster's Geographical Dictionary), biography, proper names, medical terms, sports terms, slang, Spanish / English, and numerous others . Non-dictionary publications include Collegiate Thesaurus, Secretarial Handbook, Manual for Writers and Editors, Collegiate Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia of Literature, and Encyclopedia of World Religions . </P>

When was the merriam webster dictionary published online