Ex Libris C. K. OGDEN NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^ BY RICHARD STEPHEN CHARNOCK, PH. DR., F.S.A. There are cases in which more knowledge, of more value, may be conveyed by the history of a word than by the history of a campaign. COLERIDGE dids to Reflection. LONDON: TRUBNER AND CO., LUDGATE HILL. 1889. [All rights reserved,] PRINTED BY CHARLES JONES, WEST HARDING STREET, PREFACE. MODERN Works on Etymology are open to several objections : 1. They omit many important words. 2. Too many paragraphs conclude with " root doubtful," "root unknown," "etymology unknown," " of uncertain origin." 3. Some derivations are idle; among others, absinth from L. absinthium; laburnum from L. laburnum; bonnet from Fr. bonnet. Research would have shown that absinthium, say a\jnv9iov, is found written to drink; that, the laburnum being a deciduous tree, it is not too much to conclude that the word was formed from labor, to decay, perish, fall away; whilst the word bonnet is from Gaelic boineid, compounded of beann-eididh summit or top dress. 4. Absurd or specious attempts at etymology, as 1C9C8G3 VI PREFACE. dais from SKTKOS, a disk; robin (the bird) from the Christian name Robin ; whist (the game) from the interjection commanding silence; hussar from Swiss huss! usz! uszu! cries used in setting on a dog; lozenge (the confection) from Sp. losa, a paving-stone, or from Gr. Aoos, oblique ; wizard, " one thought or pretending to be wise," from O. Fr. guischard, prudent, sagacious, which we are told is an Icelandic-French compound ; jacket from the Christian name Jack ; calumet (the N . American Indians' emblem of peace and hospitality) from calamus, a reed ; the lateen - sail from L. Latin ; Whit Sunday (properly Whitsun Day), from an Icelandic compound signifying White Sunday. 5. The giving certain etymologies without a proper explanation, as amethyst from a/0ixrros, a "remedy against drunkenness;" whereas, if Pliny, Columella, and Plutarch had been consulted, it would have been found that the precious stone in question was so called because in colour it resembled a very sober wine (a sort of petit bleu) called a/i0wros, from a privative, and to be drunken. 6. Resorting to the Keltic, Friesic, and other lan- guages for the etymology of words which claim for themselves a Greek or Latin origin. PREFACE. Vll 7. Notwithstanding the large number of words which have had their origin in onomatopoeia, the small number traced thereto. 8. Boycotting all etymologies which are not con- sistent with euphonic change. 9. Paucity of words shown to have been formed by growth (prefix, infix, suffix), decay (aphseresis, syncope, apocope), and inversion. 10. Some words, correctly derived from Proper Names, followed by a lame attempt to derive such names : thus, we are told morocco leather is so called from Morocco, and that the latter had its name from the Moors ; and that sherry (the wine) was named from Xeres, near Cadiz, where it is made, and that Xeres was named after Caesar ; whereas the proper spelling of Morocco is Marocco, an appellation cor- rupted from the Arabic ^-aft^ < ^t*, Maghrib-el- A ksa, "The Furthest West ;" whilst Xeres (now Jeres)was anciently called Sherish Filistin, " from having been allotted to a tribe of Philistines," a name probably formed from the Hebrew pnu^G-um, Shdresh-Pelishtin, " the seat or fixed dwelling of the Philistines." I have in the following pages endeavoured to give Vlli PREFACE. the etymology of many words not found in other dictionaries, and also to rectify many erroneous ety- mologies, and to give explanations when necessary. Not wishing to include undisputed derivations, I have, generally speaking, compared my MS. with several modern dictionaries, and, if any well-recognised etymologies are found in the present work, the fact of their recognition has been overlooked, or they have been derived by myself from independent research, and are generally accompanied with a reason for the deri- vation. A great many of the best works have been consulted. A list thereof will be found at page xiii. The reader will do well to compare now and then the body of the work with the Corrections and Additions at the end thereof. R. S. C. CONTENTS. PAGE. ABBREVIATIONS xi WORKS CONSULTED xiii DICTIONARY OF ETYMOLOGIES i ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS 233 ABBREVIATIONS. Accad Accadian Alem Alemannic A.S Anglo-Saxon anc ancient Ar Arabic Armor Armoric augment augmentative Barb. Gr. ... Barbaric Greek Basq Basque Bret Breton Chald Chaldee Chin Chinese compos composition Copt Coptic Corn Cornish corrup : corrupted, corruption D Dutch Dalm Dalmatian Dan Danish dim diminutive Egypt Egyptian Eng., E English Esth Esthonian f., fern feminine Finn Finnish Fr. ,. French Franc Francic Fries Friesic G German Gael Gaelic Goth Moeso-Gothic Gr Greek Gyp Gypsy Heb Hebrew Hind Hindustani Icel Icelandic Ir Irish It Italian Jap Japanese Jav Javanese L Latin Lapp Lappish lit literally Low G Low German Low L Low Latin M.H.G Middle High German Mag Magyar Mai Malay Mandsh Mandshu masc masculine Med. , ,. Medical Xll ABBREVIATIONS metath metathesis Mex Mexican Mong Mongol N. & Q. ... Notes and Queries N. O Natural Order Norm Norman Norweg Norwegian O Old O.D Old Dutch O. Fr Old French O.H.G. ... Old High German O.N Old Norsk orig originally P. or Pers Persian Priv privative Plat Plat-Deutsch Pol. .. Polish Prov Province Provenc Provencal Ptg Portuguese Russ Russian Sp Spanish Skt Sanskrit Su.-Goth. ... Swedish, gene- rally Old Swedish Sw Swedish Syr Syriac Tart Tartar Tib Tibetan Turk Turkish Uig Uigur var variously Votj Votjak Z... ..Zend WORKS CONSULTED. ADELUNG (J. C.) Gram. Krit. Worterbuch der Hochdeutschen Hun dart, Leipz. 1774-86, /{.to. ARMSTRONG (R. A.) Gallic Diet., Lend. 1825, 4*0. AMYOT (M.) Diet. Tart.-Mantschou-Franc., Par. 1789-90,410. BAYLEY (N.) Diet. Britann., Lond. 1736, fo. BAXTER (W.) Gloss. Antiq. Brit., Lond. 1719, 8vo. BOCHART (S.) Opera Omnia, Lug. Bat. 1714, fo. BOXHORN (M. Z.) Orig. Gallic. (Antiq. Ling. Brit. ; Lex. Brit.-Lat), Amstel. 1654, 4to. BRUGSCH BEY (H.) Hist. Egypt under the Pharaohs, Lond. 1881, 8vo. BUNSEN (C. C. J.) Egypt's Place in Univ. Hist., Lond. 1848-67, 8vo. CASTREN (M.A.) Grundziige einer Tungusischen Sprachlehre, nebst Worterbuch, St. Peters. 1856, 8vo. CLEASBY (R.) Icelandic - Eng. Diet. (G. Vigfusson), Oxf. 1874, 8vo. COLES (E.) Diet. Eng.-Lat. &c., Lond. 1772, 8vo. COTGRAVE (R.) French-Eng. Diet., Lond. 1650, fo. DICCIONARIO de la Lengua Castellana (de la Acad. Espan.), Madrid, 1726, fo. DOZY (R.P.A.) Supplement aux Dictionnaires Arabes, Leyde, 1877, &c. 4to. Du FOUILLOUX (J.) La Venerie, Par. 1614, 4to. DUFRESNE, Gloss. Med. et Inf. Lat., Niort, 1883-87, 4to. XIV WORKS CONSULTED. FABRETTI (A.) Gloss. Ital. (containing Umbrian, Sabine, Oscan, Volscian, and Etruscan Words), Torino, 1860, 4to. FESTUS (S. P.) De Verborum Significatione, Flor. 1582, 8vo. FORCELLINI (JEgid.) Tot. Lat. Lex (V. de Vit.) Patav. 1858-60, fo. FURETIERE (A.) A la Haye, &c. 1690, fo. GAISFORD (T.) Etym. Magn., Oxon. 1848, fo. GELLIUS (Aulus) Noctes Atticae, Lond. 1824, 8vo. GODEFROY (F.) Diet, de 1'Anc. Lang.Frang., Par. 1881-88, 4to. GRIMM (J. and W.) Deutsches Worterbuch, Leipz. 1854-80, 410. HESYCHII ALEXANDRINI Lex. (Schmidt), Jena, 1858-64, 410. HEXHAM (H). Eng. and Netherdutch Diet. (D. Manby), Rott. 1675-78, 4to. IHRE (I.) Gloss. Suio-Goth., Upsal, 1769, fo. ISIDORE, Orig. Lib. Viginti, Basil. 1577, fo. JAESCHKE (H. A.) Tibetan-Eng. Diet., Lond. 1881, 8vo. JAMIESON (J.) Etym. Diet. Scot. Lang. (Longmuir and Donaldson), Paisley, 1879-82, 4to. JUNIUS (F.) Etym. Anglic., Oxon. 1743, fo. JUSTI (F.) Handbuch der Zendsprache, &c., Leipz. 1864,410. KAULEN (F.) Ling. Mandshur. Instit. et Vocab., Ratisb., Lips. 1856, 8vo. KLAPROTH (H. J. von) Verzeichn. der Chinesch. und Mand- shur. Biicher (Abhandlung uber die Sprache und Schrift der Uiguren), Par. 1822, fo. LA CURNE DE SAINTE-PALAYE (J. B. de) Diet. Hist, de 1'Anc. Lang. Frang., Par. 1875-82, 4to. LEGONIDEC. Diet. Bret.-Fran9- (Th. Hersart de la Ville- marque), Saint-Brieuc, 1850, 4to. WORKS CONSULTED. XV LENNEP (J. S. van) Etym. Ling. Graecse, Traj. ad Rhen. 1808, 8vo. LEXER (M.) Mittelhochdeutsches Worterbuch, 1872-78, 8vo- LHUYD (E.) Archaeol. Britann., Oxf. 1707, fo. LITTLETON (A.) Lat. Diet., Lond. 1735, 4-to MENAGE (G.) Diet. Etym. de la Lang. Frang., Par. 1750, fo. Le Orig. della Ling. Ital., Genev. 1685, fo. MEURSIUS (J.) The Elder, Opera Omnia, Flor. 1741-43, fo. MINSHJEUS (J.) Ductor ad Linguas, Lond. 1817, fo. MULLER (W.) and ZANCKE (F.) Mittelhochdeutsches Worterbuch, Leipz. 1854-66, 8vo. PLUTARCHI CHCERONENSIS Quae Supersunt Omnia, &c., Tubing. 1791-1804, 8vo. O'REILLY (E.) Irish-Eng. Diet., Dub. 1817, 4to. PUGHE (W. O.) Diet. Welsh Lang., Denbigh, 1832, 8vo. REMACLE (L.) Diet. Wallon, Liege, &c., 1857, 8vo. RICHELET (P.) Diet, de la Lang. Franc.., Lyons, 1769, fo. RICHTHOFEN (K. Freiherm von) Altfrieschisches Worter- buch, Gott. 1840, 4to. ROQUEFORT (J. B. B.) Gloss, de la Lang. Romaine, Par. 1820, 8vo ; Supplement, Par. 1820, 8vo. SALMASIUS (Claude de) De Ling. Hellen. Comment., Lugd. Bat. 1643, 8vo. SALMON (N.) Stemm. Lat., Lond. 1796, 8vo. SANDERS (D.) Worterbuch der Deutschen Sprache, Leipz. 1861-65, 8vo. SCALIGER (J. C.) Ad M. T. Varronis Assert. Analog. 1851, 8vo. SCHELER (A.) Diet. d'Etymoiogie Franc.., Brux. 1873, 8vo. SCHMIDT (IJ.) Mongol-Deutsch-Russ. Worterbuch, St. Petersb. 1835, 4to. XVI WORKS CONSULTED. SKEAT (W. W.) Mceso-Goth. Gloss. 1868, 4to, SKINNER (S.) Etym. Ling. Anglic. (J. Home Tooke), Lend. 1671, fo. STEPHANUS (H.) Thes. Graecae Linguae, Par. 1831-65, fo. TATTAM (Dr. H.) Lex. (Copticum) Egypto-Lat., Oxon. 1835, 8vo. TOMMASEO (N.) e BELLINI (B.) Diz. Ling. It., Torino, 1865-79, fo. VERELIUS (O.) Index Ling. Vet. Scytho-Scandicae sive Gothicae, Upsala, 1691, fo. VERRIUS FLACCUS (M.) De Verboram Significatione, 1699, 4to. Vossius (G.) Etym. Ling. Lat., Neap. 1762-63, fo. WACHTER (J. G.) Gloss. German., Lips. 1737, fo. WEIGAND (F. L. K.) Deutsches Worterbuch, Giessen, 1878-84. WILLIAMS (Sir Monier) Sanskrit-Eng. Diet., Oxf. 1872, 410. NUCES ETYMOLOGICE. ABDOMEN. (L.) According to some, contraction of adipomen, from adeps, fat, as though named from its fatness. Others say, from abdo to hide, and omen for omentum (adipose membrane), to which some object, and say it would be abdimen, like regimen from rego ; but it is more probable that the last syllable is merely a termination, and that the word is from abdo, to hide, because it hides its contents, or because it is the place where the food is secreted. But see also Celsus, 4. i. ABSINTH. Wormwood Fr. absinthe L. absinthittm, apsinthium Gr. aij/ivOiov, which some derive from P. & E. Aramaean afsinthin (say P. afsintin\ but the reverse is the case. Nor is the word from a priv. and rj/ivfloe, as Hesychius says ; nor, as others assert, from a and ^jvso-Sai ; but it is from aTTivdUv, id. a priv., viva to drink TTIW or TTIOCO Skt. pa. ACAJOU. The cashew-nut tree, growing in Brazil, used in cooking and in preparation of chocolate Braz. acajaiba Mai. jli, kdyu, tree. ACANTHUS. The Egyptian thorn, which produces gum Arabic ; so called on account of the prickly nature of its B 2 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. leaves or stems (L.) Gr. cocavSog, axav9a, a thorn axi;, a point, edge. The acantha of Virgil is the garden herb described by Dioscorides under the name of cocavSa. ACONITE. A poisonous plant "L.aconitum Gr. axovtrov, but probably not the same plant as that mentioned by Dioscorides and Theophrastus. According to some, so called from growing about Aconai, in Bithynia. Others say, from growing on steep sharp rocks (ev O.K'JVLQ] ; but ax.ovij is a whetstone. Again, others derive the word from a priv. and KOVJJ dust, from requiring but little earth ; or from ajcwv, a javelin, dart, because darts were dipped into its poisonous juice: "quod olim barbari sua tela illinebant veneno," says Beckmann. ACORN. Fruit of the oak A.S. cecern, acorn, which some derive from CBC, oak, and corn, corn or fruit of the oak. Others render cccern fruit of the field cecer, a field. The A.S. word is probably from dc, oak, ern, both an adj. ter- mination and a place. Conf. Franc, eichel, an acorn eiche, an oak. ACRE, AKER. Originally any field, whatever its super- ficial area A.S. acer Goth, akrs L. ager Gr. a.y%) Skt. aj, to go, drive, propel. AGNATE. Any male relation by the father's side. L. agnatus, a kinsman or cousin by the father's side ; lit. growing upon or to a thing ad to, nascor to be born ; of Skt. origin. AGNOMEN. Additional name or epithet conferred on a person (L.) ad to, nomen a name ; of Skt. origin. AGOG. In a state of desire Fr. a gogo ; etre a gogo, to live in ease (gfgqye, raille, plaisante). Littr6 gives also Picard a gaugau, a cceur joie ; and says, " Le Picard semble indiquer pour etymologie gau, radical du Latin gaudere, se rejouir, mais 1'orthographie ancienne est par o, et Diez le rattache &gogue,'' an old word for plaisanterie, divertissement, which Littre com- pares with Bas Bret, goguea, tromper, se moquer ; Cymric gogan, satire. See also Larchey, Diet. Hist, d' Argot. AIL. To suffer >A.S. aidlian,\.o ail, be sick adl, disease, grief, pain. Conf. Heb. bin, hadal, to leave off, forsake, cease. AIR, EIR. Atmosphere Fr. air L. aer Gr. a.r,p Copt. 0.77/3. Conf. Syr. aar, Chald. aur, Ar. aiyar. AIRY, AERIE, EYRY, EYRIE. An eagle's nest OF. airie, aire, a nest of hawks Bret, er, erer, eryre, an eagle. Conf. Icel. an, O.G. ar, W. eryr, an eagle ; as eryr euraid, golden eagle, pysg-eryr, the osprey. ALAN. A dog for the chase, of which there are three 4 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^E. sorts O. Fr. alan, var. aland, alant, allan, alland, allant Low I^.alanus, "canis species veteribus nota alano, Nebrissensi molossus" L. alanus, of or belonging to the Alani, a warlike Scythian nation upon the Tanais and Palus Maeotis. ALE. The liquor A.S. ealu Dan. ol Icel. ol, id. ; gene- ral name used by the ancients for any intoxicating drinks, says Cleasby. ALLODIAL. Pertaining to land, &c., without any acknowledgment of a feudal superior; held, not by feudal tenure, but independently Low L. allodialis, formed by inversion from UDAL, q.v. ALNUS. The alder tree ; applied to two different plants, the common alder and the black or berry-bearing alder (L.) alatur amne, it is nourished or grows by the river. Conf. Isid. 17, Orig. 7, 42. Others derive the word from Heb. vb, allon, an oak. AMBUSCADE. The military term Sp. emboscdda emboscdr, lit. to retire into the thickest part of a wood in in, bosque a woody place. Conf. It. imboscdta, bosco. AMETHYST. The precious stone L. amethystus, a stone of a violet purple colour, said to be a remedy against drunkenness Gr. a^sSyo-roe, not drunken, without drunken- ness a priv., n/,0ucy to be drunken with wine. Brande says some of the ancient vases or cups are composed of amethyst, and the Persians were of opinion that wine drunk out of such cups would not intoxicate. Pliny in one place says, " the falsehood of the magicians would persuade us that these stones are preventive of inebriety, and it is from this they have derived their name;" but in N. H. lib. 57, c. 48, he says " the name which these [the amethyst] stones bear originates, it is said, in the peculiar tint of their brilliancy, NUCES ETYMOLOGIC/E. 5 which, after closely approaching the colour of wine, passes off into a violet without being pronounced ; or else, accord- ing to some authorities, in the fact that in their purple there is something that falls short of a fiery colour, the tints fading off, and inclining to colour of wine." Columella says, " never- theless the black Inerticula (the sluggish vine), which some Greeks call Amethyston, may be placed, as it were, in the second tribe, because it both yields a good wine and is harmless ; from which also it took its name, because it is reckoned dull, and not to have spirit enough to affect the nerves, though it is not dull and flat to the taste ;" and the translator (M. C. Curtius) adds in a note, "Inerticula nigra. The Greeks call it aasSuirrov, from the little effect that its wine has to make one drunk. Pliny says there is more reason to call it the sober wine, and that its wine is commendable when it is very old." Conf. Columella, in, 2, 24; Stephanus, Thes. Ling. Graec. Aju,9oyij, commonly supposed to be 6 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. the anchovy or sardine, but according to Yarrell and Adams the mackerel-midge (obs.) Gr. atpvw a priv., is, /3apiSos, a kind of ship or barge Cop. ban, a little pleasure boat drawn by a raft Sah. ba, palm branches, Copt, ri for iri, to make. Or the word may mean " boat of the sun " oua or ua (pre- ceded by b) a boat, re sun. BARK, BARQUE. The three-masted vessel Fr. barque, or It. barca, r. of BARGE, q.v. BARON. A degree of nobility next to a viscount O. Fr. baron, baroun, varon, faron, man in general, mari, homme fait, titre de noblesse Low L. baro, barus, varus, varo, viro (Anc. Prov. bar, baro, Sp. varo, homme fort, vaillant, vigoureux, O.G. bar] L. vir, man. Roquefort, who derives the word from vir, says, " Dans les lois des Lombards, ainsi que dans les lois ripuaires, baro et barus sont pris partout pour vir, ainsi que dans la loi salique et dans celle des allemands ; au titre 34 de la loi salique, il est oppose a mulier ingenua. Ce qui me confirme encore que cette Etymologic est la seule veritable, c'est que dans nos anciennes po6sies le mari est souvent appele par sa femme mon baron ; usage qui s'etoit conserv6 en Picardie et dans la Flandre." BARON OF BEEF. The two sirloins not cut asunder, but left joined together by the end of the backbone. Accord- ing to some, it was applied in jocular allusion to the sirloin, a baron being higher in rank than a Sir or Knight; but 16 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. Dr. Brewer says, " so called because it is the baron (back part) of the ox, called in Danish the rug; and indeed in several English dialects the back part of a cow is called baron" BARREN, BAREIN. Bearing no children O. Fr. baraigne, braheigne (L'un est braheigne, et rien ne porte ; 1'autre en fruit porter se deporte. Roman de la Rose, vers. 6085), corrupted from Belg. be-barende = A.S. un-berende, unbearing, unfruitful, barren, sterile (unberynde, barrenness). BASSINETTE. Properly a wicker basket with a hood over the end, in which infants are placed. From a word berceaunette, corrupt dim. of berceau, a cradle ; so called because made of osier. O. Fr. ben, osier, Low L. bersa, rendered " claie d'osier, treillage dont on environnait les forets de chasse." BATZ. Small copper coin with a mixture of silver, bearing the visage of a bear, formerly current in some parts of Ger- many and Switzerland, value i^d. Swiss bcetze, a she-bear. Conf. G. batze, canicula, canis fcemina, E. bitch. BAWN. In Ireland, the intrenched or walled enclosure surrounding square towers, into which the cattle were driven to secure them from wolves or neighbouring chief- tains. See T. Crofton Croker, Res. S. Ireland, 266 (1824). Richardson renders bawn, any habitation dwelling or edifice, whether constructed of stone, mud, earth, &c. The word is from Gael, babhunn, a bulwark, rampart, tower enclosure, a place for milking cattle ; or Ir. bdbun, properly baboun* an enclosure for cattle, a town. BAY. Opening into land, where the water is shut in on all sides except at the entrance (Latham) Dan. bugt, gulf, bay ; lit. an incurvation, something bent ; bugte, to bend. NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 17 BAY RUM. A fragrant liquor obtained by distilling the leaves of the bay-tree. Here rum is said to be from G. rahm, cream ; but see Notes & Queries. BAYADERE. An East Indian dancing girl Fr. bayadere Ptg. bailadeira, a female dancer baildr, to dance. BAYONET. Dagger-like weapon for fixing on end of a musket Fr. bayonetle, ba'ionette (Sp. bqyoneta}, a sort of poignard said to have been invented at Bayonne during the siege of that town in 1523, and used in the army by Martinet in 1674 > b 11 * ^s employment was anterior thereto, because, in a letter written in 1571 by Hotman to Jacques Capelle, it would seem that this arm was used in his time, and it was manufactured at Bayonne in 1640. The word is more probably a double dim. of O. Fr. baye, which Roquefort renders " Coutelas, e'pe'e courte bay, de couleur brune, rousse Low L. bagus (var. bagius, baius}" which Dufresne renders " color equi, qui Latinis badius, spadix, phcenicus, dicitur rutilus" as though /3aiSios, from /3ais, pa(38o<; ayw, to eat Skt. bhaksh, edere, vorare. Isidorus, Orig. xvii. 4, derives faba from faga from others from VCTKOV, a sausage. Festus derives it from bolus. " Botulus, genus farciminis, propter connexionem a bolis sic appellatur." Bolus comes from /3o>Aos, a mass .or lump of anything. BRAE, BRAY, BRA. A bank slope, incline Sco. brae, a hill Gael, bruach, a bank, steep precipice. NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 25 BRAIN, BRAYNE. The soft mass or viscus in the cranium or skull A.S. brcegen, bregen (D. brein) Gr. /?pey/m, /3/>e/xa, front part of the head, as being soft and moist in infants /?pcw, to wet, moisten. BRANK. Old name for buckwheat, still cultivated in Norfolk and Suffolk. Some derive the word from Gaulish brance. Camden (Gough) says, " Gaul (according to Pliny) produces a kind of corn which they call brance, which among us is sandalum, a grain of the finest kind. Among the Britons also a species of very bright grain is called guineth vranc, and in Norfolk among us brank." According to F. Hardouin, however, all the MSS. read brace, not brance. BRAWN, BRAWNE, BRAUNE, BRAUN, BRAOUN, BRAHUN. Flesh of a boar prepared in a peculiar manner L. aprugna, i.e. caro aprugna, boar's flesh ; lit. of or relating to a wild boar aper, a wild boar Gr. /cairpos the boar. BRAY. To make a roaring noise Fr. braire L. barrire, to roar like an elephant barrus, an elephant (a word of Chaldaic origin). BRESSOMER, BRESSUMER, BRESTSUMMER, BREASTSUMMER. A piece in the outward part of a wooden building into which the girders are framed ; Gwilt says, " A summer or beam placed breastwise for the support of a wall." The word is probably a metathesis of Low L. summaria trabes summaria, highest, most prominent or im- portant ; trabes, a beam. BRIAR-ROOT PIPE. The wooden smoking-pipe so called. Commonly, but erroneously thought to be made of the briar. The word is from Fr. bruyere, heath O. Fr. bruere, Bas Bret, brug, bruk. In Paris shops one notes pipes marked " Bruyeres" and " Bruyeres basques." 26 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^). BRIGAND. A robber, bandit, outlaw O.F. brigand, Bret, brigant W. brigand, a Highlander, depredator; lit. the summit, from brig, the top, summit. Hersart de la Villemarque (Diet. Franc.. -Breton) says, " Brigant. Ce dernier nom 6tait celui d'une ancienne peuplade de Pile de Bretagne ; il signifiait primitivement et signifie encore montagnard, dans le pays de Galles. II est devenu synomyne de pillard, par suite des depredations que les habitants des montagnes avaient coutume de cornmettre dans les plaines." BRISTLE. Stiff hair of swine D. borstel (A.S. byrst, Sw. borst, Icel. burst, G. borste) L. vibrissa, hairs growing in the nostrils (pili a naribus hominum, dicti quod his evulsis caput vibratur, Fest. p. 370) vibro, to shake, agitate Skt. vep, to tremble, shake, move about. Woods, on " Lion," P. Cyc. 1839, p. 29, speaks of a claw or prickle in the tail of leopards and lions, like the bulb of a bristle or vibrissa. BRITANNICA. A plant, a sort of sorrel, esteemed by the Romans as antiseptic. The word in Gr. is ppcTawiKi) and fipeToviKrj (Diosc.) ; and in Vulg. Arabic ...aJulS- j birtdniky; and, according to Mayne, is said to be from the Frisic, and to signify " fixing loose teeth," in reference to its beneficial effects on the gums of scorbutic patients, as experienced by the Romans in the country of the Frisii ; but the word is rather from Vetonica (betony), so called from the Vetones,Vettones, orVectones, an ancient people of Spain who occupied the prov. of Estremadara. In Mod. Gr. the word is found written Berrovi/c^. Conf. Vullers ; Simonet, 288, and Dozy. BRUSQUE, BRUSK. Rough, rude, unceremonious Fr. brusque, rude It. brusco, rough, sharp, sour, corrupted from L. acrus, lit. (to the taste) sour : thus, acrus, acruscus, cruscus, ruscus, bruscus, brusco. NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 27 BUCK WHEAT. A plant whose seed is used as a grain (also called branK] G. buch-weizen, beech-wheat, so called from the resemblance of the seed to that of the beech-tree. It is called wheat because, when ground, it produces a fine farina which resembles that of wheat. BUFFET. The space set apart for refreshments in public places ; lit. a cupboard or sideboard, closet. Diez renders buffet " table de parade, qui tient a buffer, bouffer, pris dans le sens de s'rnfler, etre orgueilleux ;" and he compares it with buffoi, faste, orgueil. Ducange gives Low L. bufetagium, bufetaria, " impot, accise sur la boisson = Fr. buvetage, buveterie ; with which he compares the Fr. buffet. But buffet, like Sp. bufete, is still used for a desk or writing-table. Menage derives buffet from It. buffdre, and he says, " Les premiers buffets e"tant d'une figure courte et grosse, et, pour user de ce mot, d'une figure enfle'e ;" and he thinks the French and Spanish words are derived from the Italian buffetto, from buffdre, enfler. Scheler says "buffet semble s'appliquer en premier lieu a un petit meuble superpose a un autre, qu'il a 1'air de renfler." Littre says " buffet signifiait dans 1'ancien fran9ais un coup sur la joue, et aussi 1'ustensile a souffler le feu, et venait d'un radical signifiant enfler les joues, et qui se trouve dans bouffer. II est difficile de passer de la a 1'acception qui nous occupe. Pourtant, en modifiant un peu 1'opinion de Manage, qui y voit le meme mot, on pent croire que 1'ustensile dit buffet a servi, par une assimilation quelconque, a signifier un bureau, un comptoir;" and he adds, " dans le sens de partie de casque couvrant la joue, il tient a buffe, buffet, bouffer, mots qui se rapportent en effet a la joue." BUG. The insect. Some derive the word from bug, a 28 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. walking spectre ; others from Gr. fipovKos, /Spovxos, a locust without wings, which is from (3pvK(D, to eat, gnaw; but the word comes rather, by changes of v to b, from Dan. vceg-lus vceg wall, luus louse. Conf. Sw. vcegge-luus, Icel. veggjalus, G. wegelaus, wandluis, D.weegluis, wandluis. The bug deposits its eggs, not only in the crevices of bedsteads and other furni- ture, but also in the walls of rooms. In the Scandinavian provinces the house walls are usually constructed of wood, which are seldom covered with paper. BULLACE, BULLIS, BOLAS. Sort of wild plum Fr. belloche, belloce, beloce, baloce, id. ; also rendered " chose de peu de valeur, peu consid6rable ; " a word probably of Norman origin. Gaelic bulas, a prune, is a borrowed word. BUMPER A glass filled to overflowing. Said to be from O.F. bonper, boon companion, from bon good, per from parilis, equal ; but more probably from Fr. au bon pere, the English, when they were good Catholics, being accustomed to drink the Pope's health in a full glass every day after dinner " au bon pere." But see Spencer's Anecdotes ; and Quar. Rev. No. 63 (June, 1825), p. 243. BUNNY, BUNNIE. Name for a rabbit ; dim. of Sco. bun, bunn, the tail or brush of a hare (" I gript the malkings be the bunns, or be the neck." Watson's Coll. i, 69) Gael, bun, bottom, foundation r. of BOTTOM, q.v. BUREAU. Lit. an office containing a bureau (Fr. bureau), properly a table covered with the thick woollen stuff called bureau; Low L. burellum (burellus, tabula, index, also pannus) O. Fr. bure, a thick woollen stuff of a red colour Low L. dura, deep brown colour; through a word bureus or burius, from the old word burrus, ruddy, red Gr. Trvppos. BUST. Properly the trunk of the body without the head NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 29 " Quinque hominum bus/a, sive capite casso " (Annal. Me- diolan. in Muratori) ; earlier, a dead body ; before that, the grave in which a body was buried ; earlier still, the place where the bodies of the dead were burnt. It. busio, id. Low L. bustum, id. buro for uro, to burn. BYNIN. Liquid malt Gr. fiwrj, malt. c. CABERFEICH. A word applied by Highland sportsmen to the head and antlers of a stag Gael, cabaer-feidh, a deer's horn or antler cabar, a deer's horn, antler; feidh forfadh, a fallow deer. ; CAGOT. Name given to a degraded race inhabiting France, especially in Beam and the Basque district Fr. cagoi^Lovj L. cagotus], Michel (Hist, des Races Maudites, ii. p. 284) says " Des Goths et des Arabes, s'6tant re'fugie's, sous les derniers Merovingiens, au pied des Pyrenees, re^urent des habitants le nom injurieux de Cagots, c'est-a-dire canes goihi, chiens de Goths." The name is rather from O.F. caas-golhs, of the same meaning. The term seems to have been applied to the Goths as early as 507 on account of their attachment to Arianism. CAISSON, CAISSOON. i. In military affairs, a wooden chest in which bombs, and sometimes gunpowder, are put, to be laid in the way of an enemy. 2. A chest used in laying foundation of the pier of a bridge (Fr.), lit. a coffer, augmentive of eaisse, a case, box L. capsa Gr. KO.\I/O. Ka/!Ai//-a, a case or basket made of twigs Kcrn-rco, to bend, curve. CALCEOLARIA. A genus of plants, slipper-wort, so 30 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. called from the resemblance in the bilabiate corolla of the best-known species to a little shoe or slipper L. calceolus, dim. of calceus, a shoe. CALCULATE. To ascertain by computation L. calculatum calculo, lit. to make use of pebbles in teaching or practising calculation, as did the Romans calculus, a pebble, dim. of calx, -cis, a stone. CALF. The young of kine and some other animals A.S. cealf (D. & Sw. kalf, Dan. kalv, Franc. & Alam. chalp) G kalb, id. ; lit. foetus. Others derive the word from A. Gaulish galba, a calf, also fat. Conf. O.G. galba, galbha, hard, vigorous, stout, brawny. CALUMET. Pipe of the American Indians, used for smoking tobacco, and as a symbol of peace and war. (Fr.) Some derive the word from L. calamus, a reed, which is improbable. The term is found in the works of Ferdinand de Soto as early as 1538, and is derived from one of the languages of N.W. America. In that of the Nez Percys it is kelemot, Tcalamet ; in the language of the Wallawallas, t$aldmot, tceldmot ; in Tshinuk, t$eldmot ; in Upper Tshinuk, kaldmot. CAMARILLA. Band or company of conspirators, a cabal, clique; lit. the audience -chamber or private room of a monarch or ruler Sp. camarilla, a small room, dim. of cdmara, a chamber L. camara, id. ; lit. a vault or roof Gr. Kapapa, of Arabic origin. CAMEO. A precious stone carved in relief (It.) Low L. camceus= Barb. Gr. Kap-arov, work, labour, toil Gr. Ka^veiv, to work. Littr6 gives also Ka/Awrt/cov, ouvrage fait a la main ; XiOoKap.wfjievo's, orne" de pierreries ; xa/xeiov, atelier d'ouvrier en fer ; and he says camee, signifying properly a thing made by NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 31 the hand, has finally come to be used in a particular sense, as is frequently the case. CANARD. An extravagant and ridiculous fabrication. Lacombe (Diet, de 1' Industrie, Par. 1776) accounts for the word thus : " On lit dans la Gazette cT Agriculture un precede 1 singulier pour prendre les canards sauvages. On fait bouillir un gland de chene, gros et long, dans une decoction de sene et de jalap ; on attache par le milieu a une ficelle mince, mais forte ; on jette le gland a 1'eau. Celui qui tient le bout de la ficelle doit etre cach6. Le gland avale purge le canard, qui le rend aussitot ; un autre canard survient, avale ce meme gland, le rend de meme ; un troisieme, un quatrieme, un cinquieme s'enfilent de la meme maniere. On rapport a ce sujet 1'histoire d'un huissier, dans le Perche, pres 1'etang du Gue-de-Chausse'e, qui laissa enfiler vingt canards ; ces canards, en s'envolant, enleverent 1'huissier. La corde se rompit, et le chasseur cut la cuisse cassee. Ceux qui ont invent^ cette histoire auraient pu la terminer par une heureuse apotheose, au lieu de la terminer par un denoument aussi tragique." Larchey (Diet. Hist. Argot, Par. 1881), adds: " La grossierete de cette histoire, comme dit notre cita- tion, 1'aura fait prendre comme type des contes de gazette, et canard sera rest6 pour qualifier le genre entier. On trouve ' donner des canards, tromper,' dans le Dictionnaire d'Hautel, 1808." CANOE, CANOA. Boat made by hollowing out the trunk of a tree Sp. canoa, said to be a word of W. Indian origin. Conf. Tshinuk ekdnem, kanem ; Upper Tshinuk, ekdnem, a canoe, boat. CANON. In N. America, a narrow tunnel-like passage between high and precipitous banks formed by mountains or 32 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. table-lands, with often a river running beneath (Bartleti] Sp. canon, a tube or pipe, augmentive of cdna L. canna, of Arabic origin. CAOUTCHOUC Indiarubber, vegetable substance ob- tained from the juice of various plants, natives of S. America and India (Fr.) W. Indian cahuchu or cauchuc caochu, star- juice. CAPELAN, CAPELIN, CAPELING, CAPLIN. A fish about length of a pilchard, in form like a ling, used as a bait for cod Fr. capelan, caplan Sp. capelan. CAPERCAILZIE. A mountain-cock Gael, capull-coille, horse (properly mare) of the wood capull mare, coille wood. Capull comes from L. caballus, a horse /ca/JaAA^s /ca/3aAAa> Dor. Kara/JaXXw, to throw down, "ab injiciendis oneribus; ut sit jumentum dossuarium, raXae/ryos, cui oppon.," says Littleton. CAPON. " I have a letter from Monsieur Biron to one Lady Rosaline. . . . Boyet, you can carve ; break up this capon" (L. L. L. iv. i, 50 60), substitution for Fr.poulet = a billet-doux. CARAPA. A genus of trees whose seeds yield an oil called carap or crab oil, suitable for burning in lamps. Probably same word as Sp. cardpa, oil of a nut, fruit of an American tree, said to cure the gout, a word of Guiana origin. CARBOY. Large globular glass vessel, protected with wicker-work, used for containing sulphuric acid and other corrosive liquids Gael. & Ir. carb, a basket L. corbis curvus, crooked, because bound with crooked twigs. CARD. Instrument for combing wool Fr. carde Low L. cardus L. carduus, thistle, teasel caro, to card wool, because used for that purpose. NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 33 CARIBOU, CARRIBOU (in French Caribou, Cariboux). Species of Arctic reindeer. The Canadians call it Carr- boeuf, which might translate sledge ox (from Fr. carree), but the word is found written macaribou. CARMINATIVES. Medicines which disperse wind- Low. L. carminativa, so called because they act as if by enchantment L. carmen, an incantation ; lit. a poem casmen. CARNATION. Species of clove-pink, having flowers of a carnation colour, i.e. flesh-colour Fr. id. L. carnatione carnatio, fleshiness came caro, flesh. CARNEDD. In Archaeology an artificial hillock W. carnedd, heap of stones, tumulus car, a heap. CAROTID. Pertaining to two great arteries of the neck, which convey blood from the aorta to the head and brain. So called because the ancients believed sleep was caused by an increased flow of blood to the head through these vessels (" parcequ'on attribuait le sommeil a la compression de ces arteres," says Larousse) Gr. KapomSes (s. s. as /capom/ccu apnjptai) /capoa), to cause a heavy sleep or drowsiness, to stupefy. CARP (i). The fish Fr. carpe (It. Sp. cdrpa, Sw. karp} Low L. carpio L. carpio, to prey or feed upon. CARP (2). To find fault with L. carpo, id., lit. to pluck off, crop, gather Gr. Kapirov. CARVE, KEORVEN, KERVYN, KERUEN, KURUE. To cut meat at table A. S. ceorfan, to carve, cut carpo, to divide into parts r. of CARP (2), g.v, CASCARILLA. Name given by Spanish-Americans to all kinds of tonic barks, and in Peru to the different kinds of cinchona ; but in England confined to one kind of bark, imported from equinoctial parts of America. So called 34 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. because it arrives in Europe in short, thin, brittle roils Sp. cascarilla dim. of cdscara, rind, peel cdsca, bark for tanning leather cascdr, to break into pieces. CASSAVA, CASAVA, CASSADA, CASSADO. Bread made of the faecula obtained from root of the tapioca plant Sp. cazdbe Haytian kambi. CASSOCK. Under-vestment commonly worn by clergy- man Fr. casaque It. casdcca ; properly a coat worn in casa, i.e. within doors. CASSIS, CASSES. Kind of ratafia made from the fruit of the cassis or cacis, a tree growing on banks of little streams, called in France cassis. CAT. The animal A.S. cat, which some derive from L. cautus, cautious, sly ; but the word is more probably from Gr. Karra, a cat, ferret (in Horn, by contrac. KTIS), perhaps an imitative word. Conf. A. \, kitt, a cat. CATGUT. Cords made of the twisted intestines of sheep. Corruption of gut-cord. GATES. Provisions, food, victuals ; especially delicacies, dainties O.E. acates, all kinds of victuals except bread and drink purchased O. Fr. acat, achat, buying, purchase. CAUDINE FORKS. A not uncommon expression for being caught in a trap Furcula Caudiruz = cul-de-sac, defile, so called from Caudi or Caudium, town of the Samnites (now the village Airola), where the Roman army, under T. Veturius Calvinus and Sp. Posthumius, was obliged to surrender to the Samnites and pass under the yoke with the greatest disgrace. Conf. Liv. 9. i. &c. ; Lucan 2, 138; and Lempriere. CAULIFLOWER, COLLY-FLOWER, COLLYFLORY. The plant O.E. col O. Fr. col, a cabbage L. caulis, a NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 35 cabbage ; lit. a stalk Gr. xauXo?, a stalk ; flory O. ^t.flori fleuri, that which is in flower -fleurir, to flourish. Landais says " chou-fleur, sorte de chou, dont on mange la fleur, qui est blanche et ferme. On disait autrefois chou flory, dont on a fait chou-fleur." Littre', "chou dont les rameaux et les fleurs naissantes se mangent." Bescherelle, " Les chou- fleurs ont une organization singuliere ; les pedoncules des grappes de leur fleurs sont rapproche's de leur base et gen6s les uns contre les autres. Avant la floraison, ils se deTorment, se soudent ensemble, et deviennent charnus." (Diet. d'Agr.) CAUTION. Prudence, as it respects danger L. cautione. cautio, syncope of cavitio cavitum, supine of caveo, to take care, take heed cavus, cavum, hollow; and so for (in} cavum eo, to go into a cave, which the ancients did for safety (ut sibi caverent). Conf. pessum eo, exsequias eo, suppetias eo. CAVE, CAUE. A hollow place 0. Fr. cave L. cavea cavus, hollow Gr. x a ^s X au)S > abyss x aw to g a P e > be open, contain. CAVIL. To raise captious and frivolous objections Fr. caviller, id. L. cavillari, to jeer, abuse, make sport caveo (like sorbillo from sorbeo), to prevent, obviate. CEDRATY. Fragrant variety of the lemon species, grow- ing chiefly in Italy and S. of France Fr. cedrat (It. cedrato], species of citron-tree L. cedras Gr. Ksfyos. CELEBRATE. To perform or keep with solemn rites L. celebratum, known, famous ; lit. customary, usual, frequent celebro, lit. to frequent celeber, much frequented creber, made to increase ere (r. of cresco, to grow) Skt. kri, to do, make, perform. CELIBATE. An unmarried man L. ccelibatus, single life, state of a man or woman unmarried ccelebs, unmarried 36 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. or single person KoiXuff Koirrj XCITTW, carens lecto. Conf. atyiXn/^, carens capris ; KepKoXuj/, carens cauda. See also Litt., Fest., Hier., Prise., Isid., Quint. CELT. The bronze chisel or instrument used by the ancient Keltic inhabitants of Europe, large numbers of which are preserved in public museums and private collec- tions. From L. celtis, a chisel from ccelo, to engrave. CHAFFINCH. The bird ; thefincke and bo-fincke of the Fauna Suecica, the wine of the ancient British. Said to have been so named from delighting in chaff, although it rather delights in grain. In G. it is var. fink, buch-fink (beech fink), edel-fink, garten-fink, gemeine-fink, roth-fink, schild- fink, wald-fink. See FINCH. CHAGRIN. Vexation, grief, sorrow Fr. chagrin, which Diez derives from chagrin (D. segrijn, N.H.G. zager, li.zigrino, in dialects of Venice and the Romagna zagrin, E. shagreen, shagrin), the grained leather so called. Scheler says, " comme on s'est servi des peaux de chagrin ou plutot de phoque, a cause de leur rudesse, pour faire des rapes et des limes, on con9oit aise"ment que 1'on ait me"taphoriquement employ^ le mot chagrin pour designer une peine rongeante ; le mot lima en Italien, et scie en Frangais, presentent des me'taphores analogues, et viennent a Fappui de cette Etymologic." CHAMOIS, SHAMOIS. Only antelope found wild in Europe Fr. chamois O.G. gams, gems (Mod. G. gemse, It. camozza, Sp. camuza, gamuza, Sw. gumse, .vervex, aries castratus) Gr. /ce/xas, a fawn, roe, kind of antelope, II. x. 361 ; also Kefj.fj.as and Ke/z.as. CHAR. Delicious fresh-water fish, finest of which are found in the Westmoreland and Cumberland lakes. Said to NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 37 be from Gael, cear, blood, because of its red belly ; whence it is called in W. torgoch, lit. red-bellied (tbrgochiad, a red char fish, a red-bellied one). CHARADE. Sort of riddle Fr. charade, which some derive from Prov. charrada, a cart, from char, a car ; fig. used for a heap, a charretee de bavardages, a cartload of prattling. The word appears to have been in use in the 1 8th Century. Sebastian (Diet, de la Litte>ature, 1770) says it originated in Languedoc, and signified originally a dis- course to kill time. He adds, " On dit en Languedoc aliens faire des charrades pour aliens passer 1'apres- soupe, ou allons veiller chez un tel, parceque, dans les assemblies de 1'apres-soupe, le peuple de cette province s'amuse a dire des riens pour passe-temps." CHARIVARI. A serenade of discordant or rough music, kettles and drums, used originally to annoy widows who married a second time at an advanced age, but also used on other occasions when the performers desired to annoy or insult anybody (Fr.) O. Fr. caribari, chalivari, calivaly, chalivali Low L. charivarium, charavaritum, charavaria. Diez thinks chari or chali is from L. calix, vase, pot ; others derive the Low L. word from L. chalybarium, from chalybes, objects in steel ; or from Norm, charer, Languedoc chara, to converse, to pass the time, to amuse oneself with (whence charrada chit-chat). Scheler gives O. Fr. caribari, chalivali Low L. chanvarium, chalvaricum Pic. queriboiry Dauph. chanavari Mod. Prov. taribari. He says the vocable vari is found in many popular expressions denoting bruit, d6sordre, as in hourvari, boulevari ; and he thinks the first syllable has been formed by assimilation to the second, and that it represents a word for some utensil used in cuisine, serving as an instru- 38 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. ment of music. After referring to the Wallon pailtege = charivari, from/tfz7/:=poele, he thinks the etymological sense of charivari = " bruit de poelons." He quotes Phillips iiber die Katzenmusiken (1849), and refers to his own work, Glossaire de Lille, p. 24. CHARM, CHARME. Spell, enchantment Fr. charme. an enchantment L. carmine carmen, verse, poem, song casmen casno (whence cano, like dumus for dusmus], to sing; whilst carmen, a card (for wool or flax), is from caro, to card wool. CHARNECO. A sweet wine mentioned by Shakespeare, Beaumont and Fletcher, and others. Here's a cup of charneco, 2 H. VI. ii. 3. So called from Charneca, a village near Lisbon, where it was made. CHASUBLE, CHASIBLE, CHESIBLE. An outward vestment worn by priests in saying mass Fr. chasuble Low L. casabula, casubla, cassibula (It. casipnla, casipula, casupola], a hooded garment covering the person like a little house ; lit. a little hut or cottage, dim. of It. or L. casa, a house CHAT. To talk in a light familiar manner ; abbrev. of chatter O.E. chateren Fr. caqueter, to prattle, chatter; lit. to cackle, said of hens and geese. CHAUVINISM. Enthusiastic unreflecting devotion to any cause, especially absurdly exaggerated patriotism or military enthusiasm Fr. chauvinisme ; lit. sentiments of Chauvin, i.e. Nicholas Chauvin, principal character in a French comedy played with success at the time of the Restoration. He represented a ragged veteran of the Empire who was continually talking of his achievements at Austerlitz and Jena, and his determination to take a NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 39 brilliant revenge for Waterloo. Since then a Chauviniste has come to mean a man who is always seeking quarrels with his neighbours, and will not admit that any one is brave or great but himself. He cares little under what government or for what cause he fights, so long as it gives him the opportunity of fighting, and thereby obtaining gloire, which is the lasting object of his life. He is at the same time by no means indifferent to more material considerations. CHERT. Name often applied to hornstone and to any impure flinty rock, including the jaspers (Dana) Ir. ceart, a pebble. CHOPIN. A French half-pint liquid measure, nearly equal to an English pint Fr. chopine, dim. of chope, a sort of goblet inform of a truncated cone; or direct from G. schoppen, a pint measure, perhaps allied to schopfen, to draw water. CHUM. Close companion, bosom friend, intimate; in var. dial, a bedfellow. The derivations from A.S. cuma, guest, and Fr. chomer, to rest, are improbable. Bailey renders chum " a chamber-fellow to a student at the university;" and the word has been corrupted from chamber-fellow. Conf. Fr. camarade de chambre, a chum. CICATRICE. Scar of a wound (Fr.) L. cicatrice cicatrix, a wound healed over, scar coeco, to shut or close up ; others say from KLKWO, valeo ; or KIKVS, vis, robur. Isid. 4, Orig. 8, 23, " cicatrix est obductio vulneris, naturalem colorem partibus servans, dicta qu6d obducat vulnera, atque obcoscit." CINDER. Remains of any substance burnt but left in form Fr. cendre, or A.S. sinder, scoria, slag, with infixed d L. ciner cinis, ashes Gr. /covts, dust. CLAP. Venereal infection (Latham) O. Fr. clapier (clapoir, clapoire), lieu de d6bauche (Le Monastere des Corde- 40 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. liers de Paris, qui est le plus fertile clapier de moines qui sont d'ici a Rome: Lanoe 141. Ce clapier-ci est par d'aucuns appe!6 gerene, toutefois improprement : O. De Serres, 412); properly a place where rabbits hide to deceive the dogs ; according to some from clapier (Prov. clapiera), tas de pierres clap, tas, monceau, or Low L. clapus, i.q. clapa, acervus, congeries lapidum, hara cunicularia Kymric dap, clamp, mass, heap ; or from Icel. klaupp (kleppf), a rock. Manage, on the authority of Le P. Labbe, derives clapier from lepus, thus ; lepus, lapus, lapinus, lapinarium, lapiarium, clapiarium, clapier. Conf. also O. Fr. clapises, public resorts of infamous character; and see Saint Foix, Essais sur Paris, (Euvres, t. iii. p. 73, dans Pougens. CLASP, CLASPE, CLESP, CLAPSE, Hook for fasten- ing Gael, clash, clasba, or Ir. clasba. Conf. Belg. ghespe, fibula ; ghespen, fibula nectere. CLEMENT. Gentle, calm, placid, still L. clemente, which Vossius derives from clino, to bend, bow ; mens, mind. According to others, clemens is quasi lenimens (with common prefix c] lenis, soft, gentle, mild ; and mens. CLERESTORY, CLERSTORY, CLEARSTORY. In Gothic architecture an upper storey or row of windows in a church, tower, or other erection. So called, as some say, from rising clear above the adjoining parts of the building. In French it is called cleistere, datr-elage, and dair-vqye ; in Italian chiaro piano. Bailey renders the word clear (in architecture) " inside work.'' One meaning of dear is "open;" the Low L. dareria signifies a window (fenestra), in O. Fr. esclaire, esdairier, lueur, clarte\ fenetre, soupirail d'une cave. CLERK. Properly a clergyman, minister O. Fr. derc NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 41 L. clericus Gr. K\.r)piKos, of the clergy ; originally pertaining to casting of lots /cXr/pos, a casting of lots, a lot, transp. of Heb. i>TU, gorol, a lot, little stone to decide lots. CLIMATE. Region or tract of land differing from another by the temperature of the air Gr. K\LJJM, so called from the country inclining towards the Pole ; lit. declivity, slope, inclination KAtvw, to incline; lit. to make to bend, slope or slant. CLINICAL. A word used in connection with instruction communicated to students at the sick beds of hospital or other patients ; lit. pertaining to a bed Fr. clinique L. clinicus Gr. /cAivi/cos, id. K\IVTJ, a bed, couch xAivo), to recline. See CLIMATE. CLOWN. Lit. a countryman, rustic L. colonus, a country fellow at service, herd, husbandman ; properly, one who cultivates hired land, who tills land colo, to till, labour. CLUMSY. Awkward, wanting dexterity; lit. without grace of shape, &c. Sw. klunsig, shapeless Aluns, a knob. Ihre renders Su. Goth, kluns, massa quavis conglomerata ; and adds, " Nos inde, quod vel obesum vel alias prae mole sua informe est, klunsig appellare solemus. Angli clumsy hand dicunt manum praegrandem." COACH. Carriage having seats fronting each other O. FT. coche (O.G. kotsche, cotschy, gotschi, gutscht, gulsche, kutze It. cocchio Low L. coccius, currus, Pol. kocz, Hung, kocsi}, said to have been named from Kocs or Kotsi, Hungary, where it was first made, and whence it was first introduced into France. The word is more probably from L. cisium, a carriage or chariot with two wheels, for men only. Bullet (Dissert. sur les Origines des Carrosses, 1826, &c., 8vo, p. 484) says " le cisium etait une espece de char fort 16ger, a deux roues ; 42 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^). dans lequel on mettait une caisse de bois ou d'osier, ou s'asseyait 1'homme qui allait sur cette voiture. II 6ta.it tir6 par trois mules; on s'en servait quand on voulait faire diligence. Dans les passages des auteurs qui parlent du cisium, ce sent toujours des homines qui vont dans cette voiture, et jamais des femmes." COAL, COL. The common fossil fuel A.S. col O.G. Tcole a word KtAos KeXaivos K/z.eAas //,eAas, black. COBRA DE CAPELLO. Species of snake Ptg. cobra de capello, snake with a hood. Cobra is a corruption of L. colubra, fern, of coluber, a serpent, which Vossius derives from colo, " quia nemora (add. tecta) incolit;" Scaliger from KoXvpfiav, " quia subeat cavernas." Capello is from It. capello, lit. skin of the human head L. capillus. COCK, COCK-BOAT. See COG. COCK-A-LEEKIE. Scotch soup made of winter leeks and old cocks. COCKLES. Common name for the venous and arterial channels above and around upper portion of the heart. Latham thinks the term was derived from the likeness of the heart to a cockle-shell, and in the zoological name for the cockle and its congeners being Cardium, from /capSia, heart. It may have been so called from a fancied resemblance of such channels to the shell-fish called cockle Fr. coquille, a shell. COCKNEY, COKENEY, COKENAY, COKNAY, COKNAYE. Native or resident of the City of London. Wedgwood derives the word from Fr. coqueliner, to pamper, spoil ( properly chant du coq) ; others from Fr. coquin, an idle person, citizens generally living a less active life than country people ; or from cocker, to fondle ; or from Fr. coquine, or Low L. coquinatus coquinare, to serve in a kitchen L. coquina, a NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 43 kitchen. The Fr. cocagne is a land of milk and honey, a plentiful country. Minshew relates a story of a very ignorant person, son of a citizen, who whilst riding with his father out of London heard a horse neigh, and, having asked his father what the horse did, the answer was " The horse doth neigh." On riding further and hearing a cock crow, the son said, " Doth the cock neigh also ? " See Blount's Glossographia COD, CODDE. The fish L. gadusGr. yaSos. Conf. G. gadde. CQECUM. First portion of large intestine ; blind gut (properly intestinum caecum} ccecus, blind, from its being open only to one part. COG. A boat; fishing-boat W. cwch, boat; lit. a round concavity : hence dim. coggle, a little boat, a cock-boat ; also cock (Ir. coca, It. cocca, D. & Dan. kaag], now cock-boat, COGGLE. See COG. COIL, QUOIL. In Temp. i. 2 ; G. V. i. 2 ; M. N. D. iii. 2 ; Ham. iii. i ; M. Ado iii. 3 ; v. 2 ; A. W. ii. i ; C. of E. iii. i ; John ii. i ; Tim. i. 2 ; T. A. iii. i ; R. & J. ii. 5, trouble, tumult, bustle. Bailey renders the word a clutter, noise, or tumult ; also the breech of a great gun ; and he says to keep a coil is to make a noise, clutter, or bustle, perhaps from Teut. kollern, to chide. Richardson renders coil, to make any bubbling, bustling, confused stir or noise. He says G. kollern or kolleren signifies increpare, objurgare, and he derives it from holier, to seize one by the collar. COIN. Metal stamped for currency (Fr.) L. cuneum cuneus, a wedge, first currency of metal being, in all pro- bability, in the form of wedges. Others derive the word from Gr. KOIVOS, common. 44 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. COKE, COAK. Fuel made by burning pit-coal under earth, and quenching the cinders. Low G. koke, Catal. coca, cake. Others say from L. coctus, for carbo coctus, baked coal r. of coquo, to bake. COLONY. Originally a number of people (coloni) transferred from one country or place to another, where lands were allotted to them. The meaning of the word was extended to signify the country or place where colonists settled Fr. colonie L. colonia colonus r. of CLOWN, q.v. COLD-HARBOUR. Name of a great many localities in England. Sir R. C. Hoare says he always found this term in the vicinity of a Roman road. The term has been derived from Brit, col hill, arbhar an army. (Ir. arbhar is host, army ; coll is a head). Others derive the word from Brit, cail- ervawr, the great fold, i.e. for sheep. Conf. Gent. Mag. for Dec. 1844, July 1849, and Nov. 1849; and Archaeologia for ii Jan. 1849. COLLIE, COLLY, COLLEY. Variety of dog Sco. collie, colley, coly coll, colle, common name for a dog, or culyze, term used in calling to a whelp, voc. of Gael, cuilean, a whelp, puppy, cub, vulg. culean. Conf. Ir. cuileann, coilen, coilean; Corn, coloin, Arm. colen, Manx quallian, W. celyn. COLOCYNTH. The bitter apple, kind of cucumber L. colocynthvs Gr. KoXocw0is, properly KoXoKwrr), wild gourd, according to Hehn so called from its colossal size, and said to be from root of COLOSSUS, q.v. COLD, KALD. Without heart or warmth A.S. kald M. Goth, kalds L. gelidus, cold as ice gelu, icy coldness, frost, cold Sicilian yeXa, hoar frost formed into ice, whence Gela, name of a city in Sicily. Conf. Steph. Byz. COLOSSUS. A gigantic statue (L.) Gr. KoXoo-o-os, id. NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 45 originally a large statute in ancient Rhodes representing a giant, which Curtius derives from /coAexavos, /coXaxavos, long and lean. COMBE, COMB, COOMB, COOMBE. Valley or hollow between two hills A.S. comb, cumb (Fr. combe, Sp. Low ~L. combo], a valley Anc. Brit.kum, cuum (W.cwm, Corn. cum) a hollow, dale Gr. Ku/u,/3os, a cavity, hollow, recess. COMEDY. Humorous dramatic representation Fr. comedieL. comoedia Gr. KwpoSia, a play, comic poem, per- formance invented by the Dorians, and at first represented in country villages Kwfj-rj a village (a Dorian word), ooS?; a song. Others render the word revel, song KW/XOS, a revel ; or derive it from the god KW/AOS, who presides over revels. Conf. Bentley's Phalaris, 337 sq. ; Arist. Poet. iii. and iv. COMPANION. In ships the framing and sash-lights upon the quarter-deck or round-house, through which light passes to the cabins and decks below ; a raised hatch or cover to the cabin stair of a merchant vessel O . Sp. compana, an outhouse. Hence companion ladder, companion way. COMPOUND. In India, a term applied to the yard or inclosed space surrounding a dwelling Ptg. campinho, a little field, dim, of cdmpo L. campus. CON, CONN. To know or make known, to know how to do, to study over, dwell upon (Chauc. : to be able to answer) O. E. conne, to know A.S. cunnan, to know, know how to do. COND. To guide a ship in her right course, give the word of direction to the man at the helm (found in Chaucer) abbrev. of conduct. CONDAMINE. Along the Mediterranean shore, from Marseilles to Genoa, a name given to a small level space near 46 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. the sea or on the slopes ; a neutral ground belonging originally to the neighbouring lords, or alternately to one of them. See CONDOMINIUM. CONDOMINIUM, CONDOMINION. "There has never been any idea of re-establishing the European control (in Egypt) or the Anglo-French condominium" "The mainten- ance of a condominium, which in future can only cause us every kind of embarassment." D. Tel. 14 Oct. 1882, p. 5. Ducange says " Condamina, vel condomina, Narbonensibus Condomine, quasi Condominium & jure unius Domini dicta, vel, ut alii volunt, quasi Campus Domini, nam in Occitania, maxim versus Sevennas, Camp, aut Con, Campum sonat, ubi hse Condominse ab omni onere agrario immunes censentur." See N. & Q. 6th S. vi. 326, 522 ; vii. 475. Migne gives Low L. " condominus, conseigneur, celui qui est seigneur conjointement avec quelque autre, d'un pays." CONDOR. A species of vulture of S. America, largest of the kind fSp.) cuntur, in language of the Incas. CONGER. The sea-eel Gr. icoyypos, in ancient times a much-esteemed fish. CONSULT. To advise with L. consul to, to consult, deliberate, freq. of consulo con for cum, with ; salio, to spring, leap Gr. aXXo^au, id. Forcellini says, "ut proprie dicatur, cum plures eadem de re, quasi consilientes, sententias et consilia sua conjungunt ; " and Martinius, 'A Turk. t^, a/a, Gyp. a'aa', daaa, Mex. taki, Sioux o/a^, Moxa /a/a, Poconchi tat, Othomi tak, Tuscarora a/a, Totonak //a/, Greenland atdtak, Kadjak attaga, Chukchi a//a, attaka, Aleutian athan, Kinai tadak, Jap. tete. DAFFODIL. Plant of the lily kind O.E. affodill, affodille O. Fr. affrodille, aphrodille, asphrodile (It. asfodillo, Sp. asfodelO) D. affodile) L. asphodelus Gr. ao-^oSeXos, according to some for ov8vA77, a root resembling sulphium, Att. for oTrovSiAr/, CTTTOvSuXoS (TTTOWS. DAINTY, DAINTE, DAINTIE, DAYNTE, DEINTE, DEINTIE, DEYNTE. A delicacy O. Fr. dainte, daintie, deintie, deintiet, detnte, dente, bon morceau, friandise (also dainiiee, daintie, dentee, beau morceau, fig. joie, plaisir) dent, tooth, because dainties are grateful to the tooth, fig. the palate. Conf. W. dantaeth, a dainty, what appertains to the tooth (dant}. DAIRY. Place where the milk is kept or prepared for butter, cheese, and the like M.E. dairie, dayrie, deirie, deyrye, deyery ; in Chaucer, deyrie. Some derive the word from Fr. derriere, the back, i.e. of the house. Minshew says, " Dairie, dayrie, olim deirie, forte Gal. derriere, i. post, behinde, quia lactarium semper erat in posteriori parte domus," because the milk -house was always at the back of the house. Dufresne gives " daeria seu casei, butiri, vel daeriae," quoting Fleta, lib. 2, cap. 82, sec. 3 ; also " dqyeria, dqyri, Anglis vel NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 57 dairi, cella lactaria, Gall, laiterie, seu locus ubi butyrum caseumque conficiuntur ; " quoting Antiq. Ambrosden. 588, ad ann. 1425, and Kennetti Gloss. Junius says, " Dairie, lacticinia, dame-maid, famula lactaria, Saeipa, et per syncopen vel erasin SOU/DO, Hesychio exp. Sa^/iwv, c/ATreipos gnara perita." The word is from O.E. deye, a milkwoman (Chaucer, deye, a dairy-keeper, Sco. dey, dei, a dairy-maid, Sw. deja] day, an old name for milk (mentioned in Fair Maid of Perth). Conf. Icel. dy, Dan. di, die, mamma ; dia, dy, O. Sw. di, to milk, deggia, to give milk, suckle, Skt. duh, to milk, milk out, squeeze out ; dughda, milk. DAISY, DAIESEYGHE, DAISEIE, DAYSEY, DAYSY, DAYSYE, DAYESYE. Native flower so called A.S. dages edge, eye of day. Rees (Cyc.) says, " the name is derived from day and eye, alluding to the eye-like form of the flower, and its expansion in the day, and in bright weather only, when it presents its point to the sun, following his course till the afternoon, when the flower closes, but opens again for many successive mornings." DALE. A vale O.S. or Dan. dal (G. thai, dahl, Goth. dal, dais, valley, ditch, Franc, tal, ihuol, Anc. Brit, dol, Vandal dol}. Helvigius derives thai, dahl, from Gr. 0aAAu, vireo. "Est enim vallis locus a^idaX^, i.e. locus undique virens." Wachter says the antiquity of the word appears in Belg. dalen, to descend ; and he adds, " Nee non ex aliis Argentei Codicis vocibus, cujusmodi sunt, dalath, deorsum, Matth. viii. i ; iddalja, descensus, Luke xix. 37. DAMN, DAMME ! Interjection (Damme in Defoe's Col. Jacque), properly dame Fr. dame, lady, i.e. Our Lady, i.e. the Virgin. Conf. " Mais, dame, oui ; oh ! dame, non." 58 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. DAMSON, DAMASINE, DAMMASIN, DAMASCENE. The plum O. Fr. damaisine Gr. Aa/xxxa-KTyvos of Damascus, in whose neighbourhood the tree was first known. DAN, DOM (in compos. Dam}, found as a title of English and French surnames O. Fr. dan, dom, dam, dame, seigneur, maitre, chef, homme 61ev6 au-dessus des autres par son m6rite ou par son pouvoir et ses richesses ; like Sp. don, Ptg. dom, corrupted from L. dominus, a lord. DANDEPRAT. Small coin struck by H. 7 (ofo.) ; lit. a dwarf coin dandiprat, a little fellow, dwarf. Some derive the word from dandy and brat, child; Skinner says from D.danten to sport,praet trifles. First part of the word may be from E. dandle. DANDRIFF, DANDRUFF, DANDRUFFE. A scaly exfoliation of the cuticle ; pityriasis ; applied particularly to the scurf at the roots of the hair of the head. Somner derives the word from A.S. Ian a spreading eruption, drof filthy. Lye renders tan vimen, vigultum, germen, tenus ; also mentagra Gr. ravo, to stretch, extend. DANGER, DAUNGERE. Risk, hazard, peril (" Come not within his danger by thy will ; " Shak. Ven. & Ad.) O. Fr. dangler, danglers, dongier, which Roquefort renders " difficulte, obstacle, crainte, empechement, contradiction, peine, soupon, d61ai, retard, contredit, defense, con- testation, traverses." Le Dictionnaire de Trvoux in one place derives the word from indulgere, and in another from dominari (to be lord and master, to rule) ; Manage says from damnum genre; Littre", from dominium, " car dominus donne a la fois dom et dam, et domina, dome et dame. Dominiarium satisfait a 1'autre condition, puisqu'il signifie possession et pouvoir." Littre" adds, " maintenant, comment, de ce sens, le mot a-t-il pass6 a celui de p6ril ? NUGES ETYMOLOGIC^. 59 On le comprendra en examinant, par exemple, ce texte de Froissart oil il est dit que les cardinaux taient au danger des Remains ; s'ils 6taient au danger, c'est-a-dire au pouvoir, des Remains, ils e"taient aussi par la en p6ril ; la est la transi- tion." The Low L. dangerium is the right of the suzerain in regard to the fief of the vassal ; thus, " fief de danger," a fief held under strict and severe conditions. DAPPER. Clever, neat, spruce, light ; originally good, valiant D. dapper (O.G. taphar, valiant) Boh. dobry, good. Conf. Russ. dobro, good. DAVIT, DAVITT, DAVYD, DAVIE. A piece of timber or iron to hoist up and suspend one end of a boat over the side of a ship. Littre" says the word is of unknown origin ; " a moins qu'on n'y voye un diminutif daviet de David, qui a te le nom d'un outil de menuisier ; des noms propres et des noms d'animaux 6tant parfois donne's a des outils." DAW. Smallest of the British crows O.H.G. tdha, so called from the noise which it makes. " They have gained a familiar name, the particular form of which has been prompted by the reiterated call-note of their young, closely resembling the word ' Jack ' as pronounced in many English dialects." Yarrell, Hist. British Birds, ii. 206. DEAR, DERE, DEERE, DEORE, DEIR, DIER. Lit. beloved, loved A.S. deore, dyre L. carus, dear, precious, valued, esteemed Dor. KO.SOS /ojSos, care or concern for ; lit. trouble, sorrow /ojSw, to trouble, distress, vex. DEASIL. Motion from east to west Sco. deasoil, deisheal, Gael, deis-iull, a turning from east to west in direction of the sun ; also a prosperous course dets, deas, south, right ; tut, iuil, way, course, direction. Armstrong says it was a term descriptive of the ceremony observed by the Druids of 60 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^E. walking round their temples by the south in the course of their divinations ; and according to Pliny the custom pre- vailed among the Gauls as early as his time. Conf. Jamieson, quoting Hist. B. xxviii. c. 2. DECOY. Properly a cage for trapping wild ducks D. (1793) ende-kooi (now en-kooi, kooi-eend], duck O.G. anit (now ente) L. anate anas Skt. hansa, a goose, gander, swan, duck, and D. kooi, cabin, pen, fold T. of CAVE, q.v. DEMON. An evil spirit O. Fr. demon L. d&mon G. Saifjitov, good or bad genius Sa^/wyv, knowing, experienced in a thing Saw, to learn, teach. Or Sai/iwv may come from Saico, to distribute destinies ; lit. to divide Skt. da, ddmi, dyami, to cut. DEMPSTER, DEMSTER. In Scotland, i. A judge. 2. The officer of a court who pronounced doom or sentence definitively, as directed by the clerk or judge A.S. dema, a judge or umpire; lit. a deemer, thinker deman, to deem, think, judge ; and termination ster. " In the Isle of Man all controversies are decided without process, writings, or any charges, by certain judges whom they choose among them- selves, and call deemsters" Cam. Brit. tit. " Brit. Islands." DENGUE, DINGEE, DANGA. Name of a kind of rheumatic fever which appeared in the W. Indies in 1827 and 1828, and which prevailed at Charleston in summer of 1850, and also in the Savannah ; the Dunga bouquet of Calcutta. In French and Italian the name is found written dengue, and in doctor's Latin denguis. In the W. Indies the English name is dandy fever, in Philadelphia it is called breakbone, whilst the Spaniards style it dengue, but whether dandy is a corruption of dengue or the reverse is doubtful. In Connelly & Higgins's Sp. Diet, dengue is rendered " me- NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^E. 61 lindre mugeril ; prude, a woman scrupulously nice, prim, and with false affection;" also "cierto ge"nero de mantilla de muger : mantilla, a short veil worn by women." DEUCE, DEUSE. An evil spirit, the devil ; an excla- mation of astonishment or comparison ; corrupted from L. diabolus the devil Gr. 8ia/?oAos, lit. accuser, slanderer, calumniator 8ta/?oAA;, to accuse, &c. ; lit. to dart or pierce through Sia and ySoAAo;. DIABETES. Disease in which, by an inordinate discharge of urine, the nutriment appears to pass through the body Gr. Bia(3rjrr] dulfln (in Alcala dilflri); so called, according to Lane, from being a mammal duluf, a she-camel dalafa, to walk or go gently or slowly. DOMINOS, DOMINOES. The domino, i.e. the hood or black capuchon (more often called carnail] " worn by priests as a protection against the cold in great buildings," is said to have been named from a passage in the Liturgy. The word is Low L., from dominus, the Lord. The masquerade habit formerly worn by men as well as women was so named from its primitive resemblance to the priestly garment. The game of dominoes was so called from the under part of each domino being of the colour of the hood in question. Littr6 says, " Le jeu a et6 ainsi nomine 1 a cause du revetement noir que chaque de porte en-dessous." Bouillet remarks, " On appelie domino une sorte de papier peint et imprime' de diverses couleurs, dont on se sert pour differents jeux, tels que jeu de dame, jeu de 1'oie, jeu de loto." He adds that the fabrication of this paper is the object of an especial industry called dominoterie; that a good deal of it is made at Rouen, and that it is used in the provinces to ornament the interior of coffers and coffrets made of card- board or leather. Burgess says, " With respect to the origin of the game and the date of its invention but little is known positively. It has been claimed variously for the Egyptians and Arabians, but the authority for these statements is very doubtful. It made its appearance in Italy when Venetian commerce was at its height, and dates from the era when so many new games were introduced into Europe. It passed F 66 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. from Italy into France, where the date of its introduction is said to be the middle of the iyth Century. It speedily became popular with our French neighbours. The game passed over the Channel, but as to the date of its introduction into England we know but little authoritatively. The oldest box of dominoes I have met with was made by the French prisoners of war at Norman Cross, in Northamptonshire ; and I have but little doubt that, if the history of these cherry- wood boxes could be traced, they would be found to owe their origin to the skill and industry of the French emigres or their compatriots, the prisoners of war." By the bye, the Chinese call dominoes " dotted cards " (teen tsze pae] \ and Monier Williams has Sanscrit words for domino, a long cloak used as a disguise, and also for an oblong piece of ivory. DORMOUSE. A small rodent mammal that is usually torpid during the winter (mus dormiens) E. dorm, to doze Fr. dormir to sleep, and mouse. Conf. Fr. loir : " il dort comme un loir." DOUBT. To question, be in uncertainty O. Fr. doubter L. dubitare, to waver in opinion, lit. to think of two things at the same time, as, for instance, which of them be preferable to the other ; probably through an obs. duito, from duo, two. Others derive dubito from duo, through an obs. dubo, like Sotao) (to consider in two ways) from Soioi (two), and G. zweifel (doubt) from zwei, two. DOWN, DOWNE, DOUN, DOONE, DUNE. A mount, low hill A.S. dun, a hill Gael, dun a word Sowos for /?owos, hill, height, heap, mound. See MOUNT. DRAPER. Seller of cloth O. Fr. draper drap (It. drdppo, Sp. trdpo, Low L. drapus, drappus, trapus, cloth ; NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 67 Ptg. trdpo, clout, rag), cloth r. of E. trap, to drape, adorn. Others derive the word from Gr. Tpairw, to tread or press together close or firm, press in, " nam calcando concilia- bant lanam ;" or from Corn, darbary (Armor, darbari, W. darparu), to prepare, which is from prefix dar, and pary, to prepare. DRAT ! Mild form of oath ; as " drat it!" God rot it Conf. Numb. v. 21, 27; Prov. x. 7. DREGS. Lees, sediment Belg. droge, dreck, dirt (cxnum, stercusj Gr. rpvyos rpu|, dregs. DRINK. To swallow liquors A.S. drincan G. trinken (Franc. & Alam. drinkan, trinchan, D. drinken, Sw. dricka, Dan. drikke, Icel. drekka, Goth, driggkan, drigkan). Accord- ing to some, the word may have originated from trink or trinken, the sound made in knocking glasses together in company. This is confirmed by O. Fr. trinquer, boire en choquant les verres, et en se provoquant 1'un 1'autre. Richard- son says, to drink is to draw in at the mouth and swallow any liquid. According to Wachter, trinken was anciently used for drinking and eating ; and he quotes the Anglo-Saxon Version, Matt, xxiii. 24, and drincath thone olfend, et glutitis camelum ; and he adds, " ergo trinken est gula attrahere, sive potus sit sive cibus," and he derives the G. word from trecken, to draw ; " nam trecken est trahere, et sensu ad bibentes trans- late bibere, quia potiones attrahunt." DROPSY, DROPSIE, DROPISIE. Accumulation of watery fluid in the natural cavities, or in the cellular areolae, or in both hydropisy O. Fr. hydropsie L. hydropisis Barb. Gr. vSpwrruro Gr. vSpwi/r, dropsy, which some derive from vSwp water, oi/ns appearance ; or \l/. DRUID. A priest or minister of religion among the ancient Keltic nations in Gaul, Britain, and Germany. Druidtz is found in Pliny, and Druides in Csesar ; and Donnegan gives the pi. AputSai. The Druids are said to have been so called from performing their rites, &c., in places where oaks grew, and the name has accordingly been derived from Spu?, an oak; but the word Druid is more probably of Keltic origin, viz. from W. derwydd (Gael. & Ir. druidh, Bret, drouiz], which Pughe renders, one who has knowledge of or is present with ; a theologian, a Druid, from dar and gwydd. But here is some confusion, for dar is rendered the tree of presence, an oak, and gwydd is a state of recognition or knowledge, presence. Archdeacon Williams (Gomer) derives the word from gwydd wise man, derw oak. The W. derw is from Gr. Spus, an oak Skt. dru, us, a wood, tree, branch (Zend dru, dduru, wood, spear). DRUM. A noisy riotous assembly of fashionable people at a private house ; a rout. " Not inaptly called a drum, from the noise and emptiness of the entertainment." (Smollett.} DRUNKARD. One given to excessive use of strong drink = drunkish, somewhat drunk drunk, and ard, like. DUCASSE. In Artois and Flanders name for a village fete. Roquefort renders the word " fete du patron d'un lieu;" and he derives it from L. dux, chief. Littr6 gives Rouchi ducasse (Wallon dica.ce, Namur dicauce\ fete patronale, abbrev. of dedicace (dedication) Low L. dedicacia L. dedicare, to dedicate. DUDGEON, DUDGIN. Haft or handle of a dagger ; NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^E. 69 properly, a small dagger, dim. of Fr. dague, daigue (Bel. dagge, It. dagga, Bas Bret, dac, G. degen, Low L. daga, dagua), sort of poniard or short sword. DUGAZON. French theatrical term; as premier dugazon, jeune dugazon, mere dugazon ; so called from the celebrated actress, Louise Rosalie Lefebvre Dugazon (wife of an actor at the Theatre Frangais), born at Berlin in 1755. There is a monument to her in Pere-Lachaise. Conf. Biog. Univ. DUODENUM. First portion of the small intestine, extending in the lower animals, which alone were dissected by the ancients, to about twelve fingers' breadth L. duodent, twelve each duo two, deni ten each. DURSLEY. Blows without wounding or bloodshed ; vttlgb dry blows G. durre, schlage. DWAS-LIGHT. Ignis fatuus A.S. dwas-likt, a false light dwas, foolish (fatuus) dwelian, to deceive, and liht. E. EAGRE, EAGER, HIGRE, HYGRE, AGAR, AKER, AIKER, ACKER. The bore in a river Icel. agir, the sea, ocean, main ; or A.S. egor, the sea. EARL, ERL. A title of nobility, third in rank O.S. erl (Mod. S. eorl, O. Dan. iarll, baron, Sw. iarler) Gael, iarla (Ir. id., W. iarll, Corn, arlatk] contracted from iar-fhlath (pron. iarrl\ viceroy, feudatory lord, a lord dependent on a greater ; lit. a secondary noble or chief, one next to that of king tar, after, second in order ; flath, lord, prince, com- mander, hero, champion. EARTH, ERTHE. Soil, dry land A.S. eorthe Goth. airlka, according to Bopp from Skt. ir-tha t weak form of 70 NUCES ETYMOLCXHC^E. ar-fha, pass. part, of ir, to go. He compares it with Skt. vdrf- man, way, road, path, track, from vart, vrii, to go ; but vrif is turning round mit, vart, to turn round ; and the Goth, word is rather from Chald. ih era, the Earth, i.q. p erets, or from Syr. ar'o. EARWIG, EARWICK. An insect commonly supposed to creep into the human brain through the ear. In other languages the same error is preserved, as in Svr. or-mask, G. oren-hohler, ohr-wurm, Fr. perce-oreille. The insect was so called because it eats the ears of corn, fruit, &c. The word is from A.S. edr-wiega, from ear, ear of corn ; wicga, kind of worm, fly, beetle. Littr6 says of the error in question, " dite perce-oreills par suite d'un prejag6, car cet insecte est inoffensif ; il ne peut percer que les fruits." EASE, ESE, EISE, EYSE. State of rest or quietness O. Fr. ese (var. eso, ase, aze, ais, Wall, dhe, Namur auje, O. It. asio, Gael, athais) obs. L. ocio ocium otium ; lit. time which one can use as he likes, and so leisure usus (sum) utor, otor, cefor, to enjoy ; lit. to use. EASEL. Stand on which a painter fixes his canvas G. esel, wooden frame with legs, stand, machine by which anything is supported ; lit. an ass, so called jocularly from bearing or carrying. (The proper G. name is staffelei staff el, step, degree.) Conf. E. horse (i.e. clothes-horse), so named from supporting ; Fr. chevelet, dim. of ckeval. EAU DE VIE. Brandy (Fr.), said to mean lit. water of life. It is rather an attempt to translate AQUA VITJE, q.v. EBRIETY. Drunkenness; intoxication by strong spirituous liquors Fr. ebriete L. ebrietate e&rielas ebrius intoxicated e for ex, out of, from ; bria, kind of drinking- vessel (scyphos, brias, pateras depromite, Arnob. vii. post NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 71 med. p. 295, ed. Herald) /fyvw, to pour out. A drunkard is one " qui multas haurit brias" ECARTE. Game of cards analogous to triomphe, in which players reject or throw out the cards they do not require (Fr.) ecarler, to reject, throw out. EISTEDDFOD. In Wales, a congress for election of chief bards (W.); lit. a sitting, meeting, assembly etstedd, sitting, act of sitting ; bod, dwelling. ELAND. Species of S. African antelope D. eland, an elk r. of REIN (-DEER) q.v . ELDING, HELDING. An old word for firewood, fuel A.S. (Bid, (Bled (Sw. eld, Icel. elldr], fire telan, to kindle, set on fire, burn. ELECTUARY. Medicine made up to the consistency of honey, which dissolves in the mouth O. Fr. electuaire Low L. eleduarium, a medicine that melts in the mouth ; corrupted from Gr. eKAeiy/Aorapiov eKXet^w, to lick up. Others derive it from eligo, to choose or pick out, select. " Electua- rium dicitur ab electione rerum e quibus conficitur," says Joann. de Janua. ELEPHANTIASIS. Name of two distinct diseases, the Grecian and the Arabian (L.) Gr. eXc^avrtao-ts eXe^as, the elephant. Latham says, " so called from covering the skin with incrustations like those on the hide of an elephant." According to Dunglison, elephantiasis Arabica most frequently attacks the feet, and gives the lower extremity a fancied resemblance to the leg of an elephant, whence its name. EMBERS, EMERES. Hot cinders-Dan, emmer (M.H.G. eimurja, Belg. amereri), pi. of em,jem. EMMET, AMET, AMTE, AMT, AMOTE. The ant A.S. czmetle, izmet O.G. ameisse, artieis, which Wachter renders 72 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. "animal otio expers a, neg.; meisse, i.q. musse, otium ;" but the G. word has been more probably corrupted from L. formica ; thus, formica, fromica, arnica, ameisse. See FORMIC. END. A word frequently found in place-names in England; as Crouch End, Gravesend, Southend. Its original meaning was that of dwelling, habitation corrupted from in, inn, lit. a dwelling A.S. inn, in, lit. within. ENSILAGE. A system which consists in preserving green forage plants in a pit for winter use, or during a dry season, without their turning mouldy or rotten (Fr.) en, in ; O. Fr. silo Sp. silo, a subterraneous granary where wheat is kept, or any cavern or dark place L. sirus, id. Gr. o-tpos, a pit, esp. for keeping corn. EPERGNE. Ornamental stand with branches for a large glass dish O. Fr. esperne, espairne, espairgne espargner, to spare, save from wear and tear. ERR, ERRE. To make mistakes, blunder; lit. to wander from the right way Fr. errer L. errare Gr. eppw, to go slowly pew, to flow, run Skt. n, to go. ERGOT. Disease of rye, maize, &c., in which the seed, besides becoming black, grows elongated so as to resemble a cock's spur Fr. ergot, a spur L. artus, a joint Gr. apvw, which is from Skt. bhu, to be born or produced. FERRET (i). The animal O. Fr.fuiret (Mod. Fr./rc/, G. frett, D. vret, It. furetto, W. fured] Low L. furetus (also furectus), dim. of an obs.furus Low ~L.furo, a ferret. FERRET (2). Kind of narrow tape made of woollen thread, sometimes of cotton or silk ; corrupted from Fr. fleuret, coarse ferret, silk ; dim. of four, flower. Littre" renders fleuret, " sorte de soie tire"e de la bourre qui est aux environs du cocon, et qui est comme une fleur que le ver & soie a produite avant de former son ouvrage." FERVENT. Hot in temper, vehement ; ardent in piety, warm in zeal ; lit. hot, boiling -O. Fr. fervent L. ferventus ferveo, fervo, to be hot or heated Gr. trap, fire, or tfcpw, to warm, make warm. Others derive fervo from />w, to bear Skt. bhara, bearing. FETID. Stinking, rancid ; having a smell strong and offensive Q.T.fetidefcetidusfceteo, to have an ill smell foetus, fetus, the young of all animals : quoniam foetando matres polluntur," says Perottus. Vossius renders foetus, " infans, qui immundus esse solet." NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 77 FEVER, FEUER. Disease so called O. Fr. fcvreL. febre -fcbris, which Raspail derives fromfervere, bouillir, avoir une Ebullition du sang. Varro, in Nonius, says, " appellamus a calendo calorem, e fervore febrim." FEWTERER, FEWTRER, FEUTERER. A dog-keeper, one who lets dogs loose in a chase (pbs.}fewter, feuter, a sort of dog Fr. vautrier, viaultre, a hound (Low L. veltrus, G. welter, It. veltro, Barb. Gr. /?eXrpov) Low L. vertraha, vertracus, a kind of hound for deer and hares properly veltraha, veltrahus, veltraga, veltragus, veltracha G. feld field, brack a hound. Hence, from fewterer, Fetter Lane. Conf. Brach. FIASCO. A ridiculous failure ; a breakdown in a musical or other performance. Larousse says, " pour tout dire, nous devons ajouter qu'on a imaging une anecdote, comme on en a une pour expliquer toutes les locutions dont 1'origine est inconnue. Ici, c'est un Allemand qui regarde travailler des verriers VEnitiens. ' Rien n'est plus facile,' s'e"crie-t-il. Et il demande a souffler a son tour. II souffle, mais il ne sort de sa carme qu'une sorte de bulle informe, un fiasco grossier, au lieu du flacon elegant qu'il s'attendait a produire. De la 1' express ion Italienne, fare fiasco, qu'on ne trouve nulle part." The term is derived from " ola, ola fiasco !" which Italians cry out when a singer makes a false note or fails. They say, "L'opera nuova ha fatto fiasco; cantante che ha fatto tre fiaschi consecutivi ; ha fatto un fiasco come una damigiana, gran fiasco. Tommaseo (Diz. della Ling. Ital. Tor. 1865, 4) says, " Far fiasco dicesi del non riescire in quello che altri si proponeva, o dalla fragilta o dalla forma enfiata, che ha troppo vano dentro, o dal suono imit. della voce che dice fiacchezza. Chi sa non rammenti Amphora ccepit. . . . urceus exit?" 78 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. A writer, in the Encyc. des Gens du Monde, after giving instances of a fiasco, says, " rien de plus commun que ces demi-talents qui ressemblent a des ballons gonfls d'air, mais flasques du moment ou le remplissage factice s'en 6chappe." Fiasco is from Low L. flascus, a wine or other bottle made of goatskin or leather; perhaps from Gr. ^Aao-Ktov, which Hesychius renders " species poculi." But conf. Pol. flasha, Boh.flasse, Hung, palaczk. FIBRE. Small thread or string Fr. fibre L.fibra, fibre, filament, lit. the extremity of anything, according to Vossius from finis ; according to Salmasius from faftpos for $t/2pos, soft, delicate (tener, mollis). FID, MAST-FID. Bar of wood or iron to support weight of top-mast when erected at head of lower mast lt.fitto, fixed (?). FIDDLE, FIDEL, FEDELE, FITHEL, FITHELE, FITHUL, FYDEL, FYDYLL, FYTHEL. Stringed instru- ment, violin A.S. fithele, according to some from Low L. vidula, vitula, a viol, fiddle ; but the A.S. word is rather like O.G. fidel, from O.H.G. fidula L. fidicula, small stringed instrument, small lute or cithern, dim. of fides, id. ; lit. a gut-string, string (of a musical instrument) Gr. i&r), gut. FIERCE, FERS. Savage, eager for mischief O. Fr. fers ~L.ferus, wild, sa.va.ge-/erus, wild beast ^Eol. ^p 0r)p, id. FIG. Fruit so called Fr. figue L. ficus, by change of s to f, from Gr. O-VKOV, fruit of the a-vKerj, fig-tree. FILBERT, FILBERD, FILBERDE, FILLBERD, FILBEARD, FILBUD, FYLBERDE, PHILIBERD, PHILIBERT, FIB-BEARD. Nut so called. Some derive NUCES ETYMOLOGIC/E. 79 the word from the name Phillis. Wright says the L.(Low L. ?) should bQfillis; and he gives " filberde-tree, phillis (Prompt. Parv.) ; " and adds, " Gower (Confes. Amant. vol. ii. p. 30, ed. Pauli) has misrepresented the story of Phillis and Demophoon, in Ovid, in order to give a derivation of the word. And Demephon was so reproved That, of the Goddes' providence, Was shape suche an evidence Ever afterward agein the slowe, That Phillis in the same throwe Was shape into a nutte-tre, That alle men it might se, And after Phillis philliberde This tre was cleped in the yerde. According to others the nut derived its name from St. Philibert, King of France, but there is no evidence of the existence of such a king. Bailey writes " filberd, of full and beard, the skin thereof being covered with a down like the first appearance of the beard upon the skin." Wedgwood says the word is fill beard, because the nut just fills the cup made by the beards of the calyx. In a vocab. of the loth Century we read, " abellanus vel columns, hcesl avilina hnuiu" In Archbishop Alfric's vocab. of same century we have " abellance, haesl, vel haesl-knut." In a metrical vocab. of perhaps the I4th Century avelana is confounded with the walnut, being rendered " bannenote ;" and in the dialects of the W. of England a walnut is universally called " bannut" In an English vocab. of the i5th Century we read " hec avelana, a e walnut-tree;" and in a Nominale of same date, " hec avelana, a walnutte and the nutte ;" also, " hie fullus a fylberd-tre." Littleton renders a filbeard, " avellana, nux Pontica ;" and Pliny, under " Nux Pontica," says " Ita die. 80 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. quia e Ponto in Graeciam et Asiam avellanse venere. . . . abellina ab Abella, Campaniae oppido, diet., quae nunc Avellana;" and he adds, "a filberd, or hazel nut;" and there is no doubt that this nut, as well as oth'er fruits, abounded in Abella or Avella (Conf. Sil. 8, 454 ; Virg. vEn. vii. 740). Again, the O. Fr. has aveline, in Mod. Fr. aveline, and the Latin name is nux Avellana. The word may have come thus : Nux Avellana, avel-nut, vel-nut, fel-nut, fil-nut, and, by change of n to m and m to b, fil-mud, filbud, filberd, filbert. FINAL. Ultimate, last L. finalis, id. finis, boundary, limit, end ; according to Is. Vossius from Gr. avw, s. awa>, perficio, &c. ; but Ainsworth gives the primary meaning as the intent or purpose (of a thing done), and Jul. Scaliger derives it from fio, to be done, and says " cum fit id cujus gratia aliquid sit." FINCH. Name formerly given to all birds of the kind A.S.Jinc, so called from their oft-repeated cry, fink, fink. FISH ( i ). Member of the division of vertebrate animals so called ; flesh of same r. of PISCES, q.v. FISH (2). Counter or marker at cards Hind, paisd, var. pysa, a small East Indian coin, value about ^d. sterling. FISH-PLATE. In railway-laying, a plate used to secure ends of adjacent rails ; perhaps from fish, to catch or lay hold of. In P. Cyc. (Railway, p. 255), however, we read of "fish-bellied shape ;" and also offish-bellied rail, originally used on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. FISTULA. Kind of ulcer, in form like a pipe L. fistula, sort of ulcer (Cels. 7, 4; Plin. 20, 9, 33; id. 24, n, 51), lit. a water-pipe, quasi vo-r)X6a vvpaaw povr)(TiiAao-, to preserve, maintain ; lit. to watch, guard, defend. FULVID. Yellow, tawny fulw'dus, yellow fulvus, deep yellow, also tawny, which Vossius derives from fulgeo, to glitter, glisten ; others fromflavus, a bright yellow like gold ; or from furvus, dark, dusky, for fusvus -fus, r. of fuscus, dark, swarthy, dusky. FUNK. Great fear and shrinking back ; a term said to have arisen from one Peter Funk, who was employed at petty auctions to bid in order to raise the price, and who then no doubt slunk away. See Webster's Diet. Append. FUNNEL. Implement for pouring liquid through a narrow orifice Bret, founil (O. Fr. enfouille) Prov. en- founil L. infundibulum, a funnel ; lit. that which serves for pouring in in/undo, to pour into in in, fundo to pour. FUNNY BONE. Popular name for that part of the elbow over which the ulnar nerve passes, a blow on which causes painful tingling in the fingers ; facetiously derived from its being the extremity of the humerus (humorous). FURBELOW, FURBELOE. Plaited border of a petticoat or gown. The Fr. has falbala, a flounce, in Hainault farbala. The It. falbala, falpala, is a furbelow, and falda a fold, plait. The word in Parma and Cremona is frambala, in Piedmont farabala. In Sp. falbdla and farfdla are rendered furbelow flounce. The Ptg. falbald is a fur- below, flounce ; the Sw. has a pi. falbolauer, the Dan. a pi. falblader. The G. falbel is a flounce or furbelow, and falb is NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 89 grey, pale. Littre, after referring to Ge"nin's derivation from Sp. falda, habit de femme, thinks the word is most probably from our word ; from fur and below. Some, however, derive the English from the French. Le Duchat derives the Fr. word from G. fald, plait, which Leibnitz renders jupe plisse'e. Miiller thinks the forms containing r anterior to the others ; and he derives from the Roman farfalla, papillon. Tommaseo derives the It. word from falda, and says it is i.q. falpala. The most probable derivation is from an E. compound, fold- below^ or O.E. fold-biloogh. Conf. philibeg, the Highland kilt, from Gael, filleadh fold, fheag little. But see also anecdote in Menage, referred to by Littre. FURNY CARD. A court, i.e. a coat, card, but not an honour Fr. fourni, in complete fashion, in full equipage ; lit. furnished, prepared, sorted. Conf. Chatto, Playing Cards, 108-9. FUST. A low but capacious armed vessel, propelled with oars and sails, which formerly attended galleys (Smyth} Low L. fusta Sp. fusta ; lit. thin boards L. fustis, a long piece of wood. Jal (Gloss. Naut.) says, " tout navire re- jawrab, a shoe, sandal, stocking. GREENGAGE. Variety of plum. See GAGE. GREYHOUND, GREYHUNDE, GREIHOUND, GRAYHOUND, GRAYHUND, GRAIHOUND, GRAI- HOND, GREAHUND, GREHONDE, GRE- HOUND, GREHOWNDE, GREWHOUNDE, GRAWHOUND ; in Chaucer, GREWHOWND, GREWNDE. Variety of the common dog. Dr. Bosworth has A.S. grig-hund, a grey- H 98 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. hound, quoting Cotgrove, 173; and grcegis grey. Nemnich gives Canis Grajus. He derives first part of the word grey- hound from GrcEcus or Grajus (of or belonging to the Greeks). Minshew says, " Graecus, q.d. Greek hound, because the Greeks were the first who used such dogs in hunting. The O.E. has gray, a badger ; G. grnu is grey, and grauhund is a greyhound ; the Icel. has grey-hunde, and grey, a greyhound, and grey, a dog. Caius thinks the name was derived from the degree of estimation in which the race was held. He says, " qu6d praecipue gradus sit inter canes." It is most probable that the A.S. word is from Gracus, and the Icelandic word from Graius or Grajus. GRILSE. Name for a young salmon, somewhat larger than a salmon peel Sw. gra-lax, gray salmon. GRIMALKIN. Term for an old cat ; for grey malkin grey, and malkin, name for a cat Malkin, little Mai ; i.e. little Mary ; or miaul-kin miaul, to cry as a cat Fr. miauler. GROIN. Ridge of pebbles on the sea-shore W. groyn, dim. of gro, pebbles, coarse gravel, an aggregate of pebbles formed by water on the shore, a beach. GROIN, GROYN, GROYNE. A pig's snout (in N. Yorkshire gruin) Gr. pw, a snout, prefixed by g. GUILE, GILE, GYLE. Deceit, craft, cunning, artifice, duplicity O. Fr. guile, ghile, gile, ruse, tromperie, superche- rie,. deguisement, fourberie, finesse, moquerie, mensonge L. vilis, base, of no value or account, of little price Gr. auAos, id. GULL. Genus of natatorial birds W. gwylan (Corn. gwilon, gwilan, gullan, Bas Bret, gwelan, O. Fr. goeland] L. gulo, a gormandizer. NUCES ETYMOLOGIC/E. 99 GURNET, GURNARD. A sea fish of several species, whose head is loricated with rough lines or bony plates O. Fr. gournaut Keltic guirned = W. pen-gernyn, or Corn. pengarn, horn-head or iron-head. Pughe gives pengernyn, a gurnard (also called penheiernyn and penhaiarri], dim. of pengarn, the hard part of the head of some animals. * H. HA-HA, HAW-HAW. Fence or bank sunk between slopes, and not perceived till closely approached. Some think the word arose from a person suddenly coming up to such a fence whilst riding, and naturally exclaiming, Ha ! ha ! at being so suddenly stopped in his progress. The term more probably arose from a strong guttural pronunciation of A.S. haga, hedge, haw, small quantity of enclosed land. HACK (i). To cut, mangle, O.E. hakkenD. id. aks, an axe. HACK (2). Horse let out for common hire ; also a family horse used in all kinds of work O. Fr. haque (Sp. hdca), properly a Hungarian horse L. equus, a horse Gr. IKKOS 17T7TOS. HACKNEY, HACKENEIE, HAQUENAIE. Horse let out for hire O. Fr. haquenee, hacquenee (Sp. hacanea, O. It. achinea), jument de prix, cheval de parade pour les dames r. of HACK (2), q.v. HACKNEY-COACH. Fr. coche-a-haquenee. See COACH, and HACKNEY. HAG, HAGGE. Witch, sorceress A.S. hagtis haehiis Gr. , to speak. (Conf. Sp. hierro and hijo with \*.ferro an 100 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. Wright (Gloss.) renders pythonissa, helle-rune vel haegtesse. By the bye, witch, whore, and harlot were originally mascu- line as well as feminine. HAGGARD. Properly wild, not domesticated, as hag- gard hawks. Some derive the word from G. hager, lean, lank, haggard ; or Gr. ayoios, rustic, wild ; Huet, from G. hag (Low L. haga], a hedge. Fr. hagard is one who is wild and savage, like a haggard falcon, which, having been taken after first moulting, is not easily tamed. Littre" says, " un auteur du XIV e siecle dit que le faucon hagard est celui'qui est de mue de haie. C'est dans le sens de oiseau hagard qu'on trouve muier de haie. . . . Le faticon hagard est le faucon qui mue de haie ; c'est-a-dire, dans les haies, et non en domesticite" HAIDUCK, HEYDUCK, HEYDUC. Name given to halberdiers of Hungarian nobles and attendants in German courts ; in Hungary, formerly a foot-soldier ; also a footman dressed in Hungarian costume appointed to attend a carriage or sedan-chair Hung, hajdu, yeoman of the guard, garde du corps. HALBERT, HALBERD. Sort of pole-axe G. helbcerd (D. hellebard, Sw. hillbcerd, It. alabarda), which some derive from barte an axe ( barien, to cut Gr. ir/n^eiv, to saw), halle hall of a palace, and so " palace axe." Preiskerus renders it " heroic axe" held, hero ; Vossius, bright or shining axe hell, bright, shining. Wachter derives the word from helle, hille, battle hellen to fight, and barte axe. Hence, he says, it is also called streit-axl = battle axe. Kilian's helmbard is a different word altogether. HALLOO, HALLOA, HALLOW. Hunting term- Norm, hah le loup, au loup or a lou loup, shout to set dogs in NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 101 pursuit of wolves, the wolf being formerly as common in England as in France. Conf. Gent. Mag. vol. lix. p. 785. HALLUCINATION. A wandering in the mind L. halludnatio, allucinatio, alucinatio, var. foolery, carelessness of behaviour, trifling, buffoonery allucinor, alucinor, hallucinor* to be careless, thoughtless, play the fool, trifle (to blunder, mistake : Ainsw.\ which Festus derives from allus or hallus, the great toe ! He says that hallucinor or allucinor at first meant pedem illidere, offendere, impingere, and afterwards aberrare, falli. Others derive the verb from a priv., lux light, said of those who wander from the light ; but alucinor is rather from Gr. aXvo>, to wander in mind, be ill at ease. HALPAS. At close of reign of Hen. 8 kind of dais at upper end of ancient halls O. Fr. haul-pas, lit. high step haull high, pas step. It was also called foot-pace. HAMIR, Scottish Guard of the French kings, was insti- tuted about middle of I5th Century. When sentries were changed at Versailles the answer to the challenge was Hamir, corruption of " I am here." Conf. Rev. of Hist, of Scotland by Mackenzie, p. 521. HAMMOCK. Swinging bed Sp. hamdca Carib. amaca Conf. Hawkins (R.) Voy. to S. Sea. HAMPER. Large basket in which articles are packed and transported; formerly hanaper ; so called from hanaper, basket in the Court of Chancery in which certain fees were anciently kept Low L. hanaperium hanapus (var. hanappus, hanaphus, henaphus, anapus, anaphus O. Fr. hanapier, hanaps, hanap, hanas, henas, henaz, drinking-cup made of tin or copper L. ahenus, brazen anus, brass (oSuo-o-o/xai), to be angry with any one (Conf. G. hass hatred, hassen to hate, with L. odisse). HATE (2). Hatred, ill-will A.S. hete Dan. hadL.odio odium, hatred r. of HATE (i). HAUTBOY. Sort of strawberry. The name is said to be from Fr. hautbois, which, however, is not found in French dictionaries for a strawberry. Hautboy (from Fr. haul high, bois wood ?) would seem to be an attempt to translate Fraga collina (the green strawberry), native of Switzerland and Germany, also called hill strawberry. The hautboy probably came from Hungary and Bohemia, but it has been found wild in Herts and Sussex. It is often overlooked for the wood strawberry. By the bye, the Royal hautboy, not the common hautboy, is thought to be a hybrid between the hautboy and some variety of F. collina. NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 105 HAVOC, HAVOCK. Waste, spoil, great slaughter, destruction ; so called from cry of the marshal of the army permitting troops to plunder A.S. havfoc, a hawk, the de- stroying bird. HAZEL, HASEL. The shrub. Martinius derives G. hasel from hase, hare, " quod nucamenta sint ceu villi pedum leporinorum ;" Skinner, from casula, " ita ut haslenut proprie sit nux casularis ; hoc est, agrestis, non hortensis," The Gothic has hasel and harsel, O.H.G. hasala, O. Sw. hassel, O. Icel. harsel, Mod. Icel. hasl, hasli. The E. word is from A.S. hasel, by change of c to h and r to s from L. corylus, a hazel-tree Gr. icopvXvs. HEAD, HED, HEFD, HEVED. Uppermost portion of the body A.S. heafod Goth, haubith L. caput, allied to Gr. Ka\rj. Conf. Franc. & Alam. houbit, haubtt, G. habbt, D. hoofd, O. Fries hdved, hdfd, had. HEAVEN, HEVEN, HEFEN, HEOFEN. Regions above, expanse of the sky (Latham) A.S. heofon (i.q. Plat. heven, O. Icel. hifin) hafen, what is raised or elevated, p.p. of hebban, to raise, says Bosworth. Tooke derives from A.S. heafan, to heave, thus : heafan, heaved, heaft, by adding n, heaven. HEIFER, HEIFRE, HAYFARE. Young cow A.S. hedhfore hedh, high ; fear, bull, ox Q.H..G. farri,farro, far, ox Heb. 1Q, par, a bull. HEINOUS, HAINOUS, HAYNOUS. Hateful, odious, atrocious O. Fr. hainous, odious haine (whence Chaucer's ham, hayne], by dropping d and change of m to n L. odium. HELIANTHUS (Bot. Lat.) The sunflower Gr. 77X105, the sun ; avOos, flower, blossom. " The name of the order 106 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. of plants called Helianthus originated from the resemblance which its broad golden disc and ray bear to the sun ; and is rendered further appropriate by its having the power of constantly presenting its flowers to that luminary " (Rees). HELIOTROPE. A fragrant plant, also called tournesol or girasole L. heliotropium Gr. yXiorpoTriov v/Aios the sun, rpoirrj a turning or inclination, because, says Dioscorides, it turns its leaves round with the declining sun. Rees adds, " whether he means the leaves of the plant or the corolla of the flowers may admit of doubt, but the latter is generally supposed ; yet these blossoms are too inconspicuous, and their change of position, one would think, too trifling, to have attracted notice on this account, as so many flowers more evidently exhibit the same phenomenon." HELLEBORE, ELLEBORE. Name of various plants, all poisonous, but used as remedies in mental diseases O. Fr. ellebore L. helleborus Gr. eAAe/3opos, which some derive from eAeiv, to kill, overcome ; ftopa, food (irapa TO eAew TTJ fiopa, quod esu perimat: Steph,*) H. niger or H. officinalis must not be confounded with cAAe/Sopos /x-eAas of Dioscorides, lib. iv. cap. 151, which Melampus is said to have employed with great success in the treatment of madness, 1400 B.C. HEMLOCK, HEMLOK, HUMLOCK. The poisonous plant A.S. hemlic, hymlic (Bosworth hemleac, hemlyc), so called because the greater hemlock and also the common sort grow on the sides of banks and roads hem margin, ledc herb. HENCHMAN, HENSEMAN, HENSHMAN. Male attendant, page, follower,. " Hench-boys " occurs in both Ben Jonson and Glapthorne. A hench-boy is a boy servant or attendant ; a hench-man, a man servant or attendant. The NUCES ETYMOLOGIC.E. 107 word is from O.G. encho, eincho, anchio, enko (M.H.G. enke, Fries, inka). Wachter renders enke, servus, non coactae, sed liberae conditionis ; servus nobilior. All these words are from Sabine ancus, servant of the family, help Gr. ay^i, near (prope, juxta), or from ayxwvw, which Hesychius renders diaconus, minister. Conf. ey/covis, a maid-servant, ey/coveu, to be quick and active in service Kovew, to raise dust KOVIS, dust. HERMAPHRODITE. A brig that is square-rigged for- ward and schooner-rigged aft ; so called from a fancied resemblance to an animal of both sexes hermaphroditus Gr. ep//,apo8m; (Venus). HERNIA. Rupture L. hernia, id. epvos, branch, bough, twig. Conf. L. ramex, rupture or kind of rupture, e.g. an oscheocele ; lit. a thing having branches ramus, branch. HERNSHAW, HERNESHAW, HERNSHAWE, HERON-SHAW, HERONSEWE, HERONSEW, HERNSEW (as a pi. HERNSHAWES, HERNSUES, in Chaucer heron-sew es}. Young heron 0. Fr. heronceau or haironceau heroncel Low L. heroncellus dim. of heron or hairon. Conf. Hurstmonceux (Sussex) Fr. Monceux monceau monticellus, dim. of mons, -Us, mountain, hill ; also cottacel (of land) cot. HERRING, HERING. The fish. The common deri- vation of this word is from A.S. here, an army, because these fish visit the coasts in such immense numbers (see P. Cyc. 1837, vol. vii. 276). The word comes through A.S. hcering, haring (O. Fr. hcereng, hierenc, hieren, haran, harence) Low L. harenga (var. harengia, harengus, harengium, (Erica, irica) L. alex (var. alec, allec, hatec, halex, in Colum. viii. 8, ed. Gesner ; 108 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. also dim. allecula, hallecula], properly any thick pickle or sauce prepared from small salted fish Gr. oXs, salt, thus: oXs, oXos, aXas, aAa, alex, halex, halecis, by change of / to r harecis, harece, harence, harenge, harenga, haring, herring. HERSE. Instrument formerly used in fortification, similar to the portcluse or portecullis Fr. herise, which Meyrick thinks was probably an adj., and signified a bristled portcluse or gate cover. The word is not found in either Littr6 or Roquefort. Conf. Fr. herisse, bristling herisser, to bristle. HETMAN, ATAMAN. A Cossack commander-in-chief Pol. hetman (Russ. ataman) G. hauptmann, head man, chieftain haupt head, mann man. HIDALGO. Spanish nobleman of the lowest class Sp. hidalgo, which a commentator on Las Siete Partidas defines, " son of a noble and of a mother not of noble origin, and married or unmarried ; and so from hijo de dlgo, son of somebody. Gregorio Lopez impugns this, and says the word comes from Italico, because the Italians who settled in Spain were exempt from tribute. He says, "Et quia Hispania capta fuit 4 Romanis eisque subdita, multae coloniae Italicorum in earn venerunt, et pluribus civitatibus Hispaniae jus Italicum consessum fuit circa immunitatem tributorum, et immunes a. tributis dicebantur juris Italici ; inde ergo corrupto vocabulo dictum fuit hidalgo ab Italico ;" and he refers to Sarmiento, lib. i, Selectar. cap. 15; y Covar. cap. 4, num. n. (Conf. Las Siete Partidas Del Sabio Don Alonso, ed. D. T. V. Perez, 1843 ; Partida 2, tit. 21, ley. 2 ; and Glossadas de Gregorio Lopez, Mad. 1829, tomo i, p. 585, note 8.) Others write fidalgo, and derive the word from fide (abl. of fides with a termination ; or from Sp. fijo de Godo, son of a Goth. But the more probable derivation is from hijo de dlgo, one meaning NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 109 of dlgo being property (caliddd), so that hijo de dlgo would be = hijo de bie"nes. HIGH, HEIGH, HEAGH, HEAH. Long upwards A.S. hedh Goth, hauhs ; corrupted L. altus. HIGH FALUTIN', HIGHFALUTEN. High-flown language, bombast : usually derived from D. verlouten, but Dutch has no such a word. Bartlett derives it from high- flighting. HILL, HIL, HULL. Small mountain A.S. hyll, which some derive from L. collis, high ground, said to be allied to celsus and cello, whence excello and prcecello (see Forcellini and Isid. 14 Orig. 8, 19 ; but the word is more probably a cor- ruption of O.G. hiigel, a hillock, dim. of hoeg, id., like W. uchel, high, lofty, from uch, being over or above. HILT. Sword-handle A.S. (Icel. hjalf), id. Tooke says hilt, helt, gehilt, holt, hylt, is " the held part, the part which is held," from A.S. healden, to keep, hold. If so, O.H.G.Aelza (It. helsa] is from L. ansula, dim. ofansa, a handle ; or from Gr. eA.i|, anything which assumes a spiral shape ; also curved, twisted. HIND. Female of the stag A.S. hind (M.H.G. hinde, O.H.G. hinta], by, as respects animals, not uncommon change of sense, from Gr. twos yivos, a jennet. But conf. Hesychius under twos, LWTJ = maid. HIPPOCAMPUS (JElisaa. iv. 14). Fabulous animal, sea- horse, whose head resembled that of a horse, and its tail that of a fish, on which sea-gods ride Gr. tTnro-Ka/tTros, sea-horse ITTTTOS horse, /cajUTros sea-monster ; or say from nnroKapTrr) ITTTTOS and Ka/wn?, flexura, from the curvature of the tail. HOAR-STONE. Landmark stone, stone of memorial 110 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. describing boundary of property, whether of public or private nature, as used in almost all countries from patriarchal era down to present generation Anc. Brit, ot (Ir. oir, ur, Old Ir. or, A.S. ora), limit, boundary, margin, brim Gr. opos, landmark, frontier, boundary-stone opos, mountain Heb. in, har, id. For names compounded of hoar see Hamper's Disquisition in Archaeologia, vol. 25. HOAX. Practical joke played to trick a person ; by some derived from HOCUS-POCUS (q-v.}, but Dr. Bosworth gives A.S. hucse, husce, huex (Plat. jux\ hoax, irony, slight, ironia; mid hucse, with slight, Cd. 107; thurh hucz, per iro- niam, Cot. 186. HOBBLEDEHOY, HOBBERDEHOY, HOBBARD- DE-HOY. Stripling, youth between 14 and 21. "Why! he's a mere hobbledehoy, neither a man nor a boy : " Swift, Polite Conversation. " The next keepe under Sir Hobbard-de- hqy :" Tusser, Four Hundred Points of Good Husbandry, p. 57, 1580. The word is said to be from Sp. hombre de hoy, man of the day, but why is doubtful, and the term is not found in Spanish. HOCUS-POCUS. Juggler's trick. Some derive the term from W. hoced, a cheat or trick ; bwg or pwca, hobgoblin ; others from Fr. hoc, sort of card game ; lit. that (is] L. hoc, that. Sharon Turner (Hist. Anglo-Saxons, Append, to b. ii. c. 31) derives the term from Ochus-Bochus, a magician and demon much feared in the North of Europe (of course in ancient times). But hocus-pocus (D. hokus-bokus] is properly the gibberish repeated by the juggler, in all parts of Europe, whilst performing his tricks. D'Israeli (Amen. Lit.) says it originated in derision of the words, " Hoc est [enim] corpus meum" (for this is my body), slovenly NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. Ill pronounced by the mumbling priest in delivering the emblem as the reality. Tillotson was of the same opinion. His words are, " In all probability these common juggling words are nothing but a corruption of ' Hoc est corpus,' by way of ridiculous imitation of the priests of the Church of Rome in their trick of Transubstantion." HOICKS ! Hunting term Norm, haut-icy, -tccy, high here ! HOLT. Small wood, woodland, woody hill, grove, refuge, shelter A.S. holt (Su. G. hull}, according to some from helan, to cover, but perhaps rather, by dropping first letter, from L. salt-us, wooded chain of mountains, also a forest, or its r. aAo-o?, grove, wood, forest. HONEY. Sweet liquid secreted by bees A.S. hunig (G. honich, Franc, honang, and, in Gotho-Teutonic languages, among nine other forms, hunang), said to be from a word hvning, hyfning or hyfening, about = produce of a hive A.S. hive, id. Last part of the word is probably a suffix. First may be from oivov, wine. By the bye, in Mark of Branden- burg sweet new beer, and in other parts of Germany spice also, are called honiken.. HONOUR, HONOR, HONURE. Respect, esteem, high estimation O. Fr. honnour, honur L. honor, anything by which a person or thing acquires respect honos Gr. ouvos, praise ; lit. a tale, story. HOOF. Hard horny substance on feet of graminivorous animals A.S. hop O. Sw. hop Gr. mrX-rj, id., by dropping termination, after Scythic manner, from OTT\OV, shield. HOP. The plant D. hop (Belg. hop, hoppe, happe, Wall. hubillon, Flem. hummel, O. Fr. haubelon, Low L. humulus, humulo], said to be from happen, to climb ; but the D. word 112 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. has more probably been formed from L. lupus, the hop-plant (lupus herba): thus lupus, lup, hlop, by syncope hop. The word lupus for hop was so called " because, just as the wolf preys upon other animals, so this plant, by immoderately impoverishing the soil in which it grows, starves its vegetable neighbours." The Low L. words are from the O, Fr., and the latter, the Wallon, and Flemish forms have come from a word lupulus (dim. of lupus*}, by change of / to h, and p to m. HORNBEAM. Genus of trees (Carpinus betulus), whose wood is white and of a fine close texture ; a name said to be corrupted from its G. appellation wonne-baum, i.e. delight, pleasure, or joy tree ; but hornbeam more probably means horn-wood, so named on account of its hardness ; or it may be a corruption of iron-beam, i.e. iron-wood, that being one of its names. Conf. IRON. HORSE-CHESTNUT. The tree and its fruit f&sculus). It is said to derive its name from the likeness of the fruit to that of the chestnut, and from its being used by the Turks as food for horses that are broken or touched in the wind. In England horses will not eat the horse-chestnut, and indeed some are of opinion that the term " horse " was given to it to express coarseness. The old name for horse- chestnut was Hippocastanum, Castanea equina. sEsculus is from L. esca, food. We get the tree from the Levant. It was, however, brought from the northern parts of Asia into Europe about 1358. HOSE. Close-fitting breeches or trousers reaching to the knees A.S. hosa (Icel. & Franc, hosa, Dan. & G. hose, D. boos, Low L. hosa), a stocking by change of / to s from O.G. hiiten, to cover, according to Wachter. HOUSE. Place of human abode A.S. hus Goth. hus. NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^). 113 like O. Fr. hius, huiz, hus, uis, porte, entree L. ostium, a door, mouth or entrance of anything os, mouth Skt. as, to eat. Conf. USHER. HUB. Projection or protuberance ; central point of a wheel to which spokes are subservient i.q. hob, nave of a wheel. Conf.G. hwb, a heaving, lifting; W.hub, anything which rises or swells out. Hence, from hub, " Hub of the universe," name applied to Boston, U.S., and sometimes to Calcutta. HUMBUG. Plausible deceit. Some derive this word from hum, to cheat, hoax; bug, a bugbear; hence, a false alarm, sham, bugbear; or from Irish uim bog (pronounced oombug), soft copper, pewter, brass, or worthless money, such as was made by James II. at the Dublin Mint, ios. of which was worth about only 2.d. sterling. It is asserted that the term was at first applied to worthless coin, and in time became applied to anything false or counterfeit. Others say that in former years there resided in the neighbourhood of the Mearns, in Scotland, a gentleman of landed property named Hume or Home, whose estate was known as the Bogue ; that, from the great falsehoods Hume of the Bogue was in the habit of relating about himself, his family, and everything connected with him, it soon became customary, when persons heard anything that was remarkably extrava- gant or absurd, to say, "That is a Hume o' the Bogue;" that the expression spread like wildfire over the whole country, and those who did not understand the origin of the phrase, and applied it only to any extravagant action or saying, contracted and corrupted it to humbug (see my Verba Nominalia). Others, again, derive the term from Hamburg ("news from Hamburg"), because in war times news from that city, being frequently false, was looked upon with 114 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. distrust ; or from Hamburg, distinguished chemist of the court of the Duke of Orleans, who, according to a passage from Bishop Berkeley's Siris, was an ardent and successful seeker after the philosopher's stone. The most probable derivation is from L. ambage ambages, a long circumstance, tedious tale to no purpose, preambles, impertinences, beat about the bush, &c. &c. am ambe or ambi, about ; ago, to go. HUNGER. Craving for food A.S. hungor, hungur O. Sw. hunger, id. hungra, to long for. HURRICANE, HURRICANO, HURRICANOE, HEROCANE. Violent storm of wind. The word has been derived from O. Sw. hurra, to move rapidly ; and from Basq. uracan, collection of waters urac, waters. We have the term through Fr. ouragan, Sp. huracdn, from a W. Indian word huracdn, signifying the four winds blowing at the same time one against the other. HUSO, HUSE. The beluga or isinglass sturgeon, a very large fish which inhabits the great rivers that fall into the Black and Caspian Seas, and from the bladder of which isinglass is made O.D. huyzen, derivation of which is doubt- ful. The name of the fish in O.H.G. is huso, Hung, visa, Slovak vyza, Bohem. wyz, wyza, Pol. wyz. The D. huis is a house, the Turk ^u!, uzun, long ; but the Turkish word or isinglass is bdlik lutkdli, i.e. fish glue. HUSSIF (pr. huzzif). Sempstress's case for needles, thread, &c. ; lady's companion ; corruption of housewife, used figuratively. HYACINTH. The flower Fr. hyacintheL. hyancinthus Gr. vaKuvBos, the iris, gladiolus, and larkspur, which has been derived from vw, to make wet, such plants growing chiefly in humid soils. According to some poetic fictions, however, the NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 115 flower sprang up from the blood of Hyacinthus (YAKIIN0O2), or from that of Telemon Ajax (AIA3) ; and botanists think they can decipher on the petals the letters YA or AI, the initials of such names respectively. Putting aside the fable, according to Linnaeus all the flowers named have marks more or less resembling the characters mentioned. The last part of the word is from avOos, flower, with medial k for euphony. The precious stone called vaiuvOorj, web ; v, id. INCONGRUOUS. Unsuitable, inconsistent, not fitting L. incongruus, id. ; lit. not congruous in, not ; congruus, agreeing, fit, suitable congruo, to agree with ; lit. to flock together as cranes do, who never separate whether in flying or feeding con for cum, with, together ; grus, a crane gr, noise uttered by them. INCONY. "My incony Jew!" L. L. L. in. i. 138; NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 117 " Most incony vulgar wit !" ib. iv. i. Bailey translates this word " wit, mimicking wit." Grose says conny is brave, fine, the same as canny, a word in Scotland very variously applied, but plainly an E. word, cunning, i.e. knowing, clever. The term has also been rendered var. sweet, pretty, delicate, fine, and been derived from the Northern canny or conny, pretty, comely; and in, an intensive particle. Warburton would read, " My incony jewel," and says incony or kony in the N. signifies fine, delicate, as a kony thing, a fine thing. Keightley says, " This is usually understood to mean fine, delicate, pretty, but the following passage in the old play, ' The Shoemaker's Holiday,' gives the true sense and origin of it : ' There they shall be knit, like a pair of stockings in matrimony : there they shall be in conie.' Cony, like lamb y mouse, &c., was in fact one of the endearing terms then in use between married couples ; so that to be in cony was to be in a state of matrimonial endearment. Then in cony or incony gradually came into use as an adj. of endearment in general, just as in life became alive and live (as an adj.) " In old authors the word is found written inconie and incony. A correspondent of N. & Q. ($rd S. v. 231) says the word is probably a corruption of O. Fr. inconu, unknown, unheard of ; a phrase answering very much also to our own vernacular, " no end of." The passages would then mean " such a Jew as never was heard of ; " " no end of vulgar wit." INDULGENCE. Act of indulging (Fr.) L. indulgentia indulgenti indulgens indulgeo, to be courteous or com- plaisant, to humour, from a word indulceo in in, dulcis sweet Gr. yXvKvs. INDUSTRY. Diligence, assiduity Fr. Industrie L. industria, painstaking industrius indostruus, active, dili- 118 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. gent endo for in, within ; s/ruo, to arrange, dispose, prepare, build. "And so, qui semper aliquid struit," says Riddle, " indusirium, quod veteres velut indostruum dicebant, quasi qui, quicquid ageret, intrd strueret et studeret domi, est enim industrius, studiosus, vigilans, callidus, says Festus." INEBRIOUS. Intoxicated L. inebriosus (?) inebrio, to make drunk in intensive particle, ebrius drunk r. of EBRIETY, q.v. INFLUENZA. Kind of catarrh It. influenza, influence ; so named because the phenomena were thought to be due to the influence of the stars (see Tanner, Pract. of Medicine, i. 205) Low L. influentia y lit. a flowing into r. of influence, INGLE, INGIL. Flame, blaze, a fire or fire-place (Sco.) L. igniculus, dim. of ignis, fire Skt. agni. Conf. Gael, aingeal, eingeal, fire, light, sunshine. INGLUVIUM. Essential principle of the gizzard of chickens and ducks, used, in medicine, as a stomachic in vomiting and pregnancy, in indigestion, dyspepsia, and flatulency L. ingluvies, crop, craw, or gorge of birds, stomach or paunch of ruminant animals for inguluvies, from intensive particle in, and gula, gullet, swallow. INGUINAL. Relating to the groin L. inguinalis, id. inguen, groin, which Vossius derives from O.L. ingeno, to engender in in, gigno to beget. INHABITABLE (Fr.) Sometimes = not habitable. Shak. R. II. i. i And meet him, were I tied to run afoot Even to the frozen ridges of the Alps, Or any other ground inhabitable. " The divine Providence so ordering all, that some parts of the world should be habitable, others inhabitable" (Holland}. NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 119 L. inhabitabilis, that cannot be inhabited or lived in in = non, not ; habitabilis, that may be dwelt in r. of habitdbk. INSECT. Class of animals so called, from the divided appearance of the body; or, as one writer says, "from a separation in the middle of their bodies, whereby they are cut into two parts, which are joined together by a small ligature, as we see in wasps and common flies " Fr. insecte L. insectum inseco, to cut into in into, seco to cut. Conf. Gr. oro/to. (sc. wa), insects ; lit. cut into ev in, re/wo to cut. IPECACUANA, IPECACUANHA. The medicinal root Ptg. ipecacuanha, according to Pouchet a Brazilian word signifying " streaked or striped root " (racine rqyee). IRIS. In botany, typical genus of order Iridaceae (L.) Gr. ipis ; so named on account of the various and somewhat concentric hues of the flower, which gave an idea of the rainbow tpis rainbow cipw to tell, because it was supposed to announce the rain ; " quod pluvias denunciet," says Littleton. IRON, IREN, YREN, YRENE, YRON, YRUN, YZEN. Metal so called A.S. iren, which, when compared with Icel.jarn, Sw. iarn, Ir. iaran, iarrunn, Gael, iarrunn, Manx iaarn, Armor, houarn, uarn, W. haiaru, Corn, hoarn, Sp. hierro, Ptg. & It. ferro, suggests that the word has been corrupted from L. dat. or abl. ferro. By change of r to s came also A.S. isen, isern, O.H.G. isarn, Goth, eisarn, Eng. yzen. ISTHMUS. Neck of land joining a peninsula to a continent (L.) to-0/u.os, lit. a neck, any narrow passage or connexion = ctcrci/xt, to go into s into, ei/u to go. IZZARD, IZARD. Name for the ibex Fr. isard, ysard 120 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. (Provenc. uzarn, Catal. isart, sicarf], which M. Rouillon derives from the hissing of the animal through its nostrils O.G. hissen, to hiss. But Littr6 adds, "D'un autre cote, la forme provengale, qui a une n, fait penser au germanique isern, eisern, gris de fer," iron-grey. IVY. The evergreen A.S. efig O.G. var. ebah, ephi, epfi, ephew ; perhaps etymologically same as YEW, q.v. J; JACK. This word, which means a young pike, a pitcher, &c., and is found in many compounds, is not derived from Jacques (James), but from a dim. of John ; perhaps thus : John, Jan, Jannock, Jack. JACK, JACKE, JACQUE, JACOBI. Kind of defensive armour for the body, made of prepared leather, the lorica of the ancients ; defensive upper garment probably from G. jack, a hunte/s vest. Conf. Meyrick ; and see JACKET. JACKDAW. See DAW. JACKANAPES. Coxcomb, fop, upstart, conceited fel- low. Dr. Johnson derives the term from Jack and ape; others say napes was a term of derision signifying a knave, from A.S. cnapa (properly a boy, servant, young man), and that Jackanapes would seem to be = Jack Cnapa, Jack the Knave. They add that the Duke of Suffolk was designated by the cant term of Jac Napes. This, however, is not satis- factory. The French term for knave in cards is valet, which was formerly used, not for servant, but for a young nobleman holding an appointment at court. Mistaking the meaning of valet, Jack was used to denote a serving-man, like Dutch Jan, whilst napes is without doubt from Sp. naipes (word of Arabic NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 121 origin) = cards ; so that Jackanapes is = " Jack of Cards." Conf. Chatto on Playing Cards, pp. 231-5. JACKET. Short coat extending to the hips ^r.jaquette dim. of jaque, jacque, coat of mail O.D. jacke (Mod. D. jakje), small jacket kajacke kasacke r. of cassock, i.e. Fr. cosaque It. casdcca, great coat L. casa, covering, house. JADE. Sorry nag, old woman Sco. yaud, old mare Icel. jalda (only in poetry; Prov. Sw. jalda), mare, in gen. joldu, as Joldu-hlaup, mare's leap, local name in N. of Ireland. See LANDNAMABOK. JARGON. Gibberish. Skinner derives this word from It. chierico (cherico ?), a clergyman ; " for, when the laity heard the Latin tongue, unknown to them, used in the liturgies and prayers of the church, they called that, and all other tongues which they did not understand, chiericon, q.d. clergymen's language," says Bailey. The Fr. has jargon, O. Fr. jergon, Pic. gergon, O. Sp. girgonz, Mod. Sp. zerga, It. gergone, obscure cant of thieves, also gergo, gerga and zerga. Tommaseo rejects Skinner's derivation, and also three other derivations, viz. from L. barbaricus, It. Greco, and Celtic garg, rough, hard ; and derives It. gergo from L. ergo (therefore), whence, he says, Fr. ergoier, to use pedantic and strange language (say, to cavil, dispute). See ARGOT. JAVELIN. Sort of spear made of wood and pointed with steel Sp. jabalina, spear chiefly used for hunting wild boars jabali, wild boar found on mountains Ar. Jjc>-, jabal, mountain. JAY. The bird O. Fr. jai, gay, gqye Low L. gains, so named from gay colours of the bird, from a word vaius L. varius, variegated. Many Latin writers call the jay pica varia. 122 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. JECUR. Old name for the liver (L.) Skt. jakrit, liver. Hence adj./rava/. JEJUNUM. Second portion of small intestine, pro- perly jejunum intestinum, so called because thought to be always empty, which is not the case, though after death it contains much less than the rest of the intestine -jejune, empty, scantily supplied with food L.jejunus, that hath not eaten, which Martinius ap. Voss derives from Gr. u/eo>, to empty. (Conf. Cic. ad Div. ; Isid. 2 Orig. i. 131 ; Gels, iv. n) ; others, from Skt. yanyamyam, to restrain. JENNY. Spinning machine invented by Jacob Har- greaves ; properly genny, for ginny, dim. of a word gin, for engine. JEROBOAM. Scotch wine and spirit measure, as a Jeroboam of claret or whisky. Some say it contains eight bottles ; according to others it is a jar holding a bottle and a half, but a Jeroboam of whisky is a nip of whisky. It appears Jeroboam was originally a nickname given in Scot- land to smuggling vessels, perhaps from the name of a vessel engaged in the trade. The Scotch are fond of using Scripture names ; witness Joppa, appellation of two places in Scotland. JERRY HOUSES. Houses erected with bad materials, and sometimes on plots of land that have been used as "laystalls" for garbage and filth. "Wheresoever London stretches one of its numerous antenna into the open country there will be plots of lands where ' rubbish is shot ; ' and on these plots of land will jerry builders erect houses, outside fair to view, with porticoes and ' Queen Anne ' balustrades ; inside literally formed of dust and ashes." Conf. St. James's Gaz. Jan. 26, 1884, p. 5. The slang term "jerry shop," NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 123 properly Tom and Jerry shop, for a low drinking shop, is so used in allusion to Pierce Egan's characters in his Life in London. JESUS. Sort of French paper whose mark formerly bore the name or Jesus. " Terme de papeterie. Papier nom de jesus, ou, simplement, papier je'sus, sorte de papier de grand format, qui s'emploie principalement dans rimprime- rie, et dont la marque portait autrefois le nom de J6sus (I.H.S.):" Littri. JIGGER. Troublesome insect of tropical regions, found written chigger, chegir, chigre, chegre, chigoe, chegoe, chiggre, and in Fr. chique. Some say it is a W. Indian or S. American word. Others derive it from Sp. chico, small. JOHN DORY, DORY, DOREE. Small gold-coloured sea-fish Fr.jaune doree, golden yellow, also doree, i.e. gilt (sc. la poisson, fish). Littri does not give the French word for the fish, but he says, " dore se dit des objets qui sont d'un jaune brillant, jaune dore." Bescherelle says the poets have often used or for the colour/a#e d'or, and dore for the colour jaune. C.onLjean-de-gand,jean-le-blanc, name of two birds. JOKE. A jest L. jocus, a jest, joke ; according to Vossius fromy'wjw, to delight, amuse ; and if so, as Martinius says, jocus for jucus. Others derive jocus from ta/c^os ta^os, clamour ia^w, to cry, cry out. JUNIPER. A coniferous evergreen shrub or tree L. juniperus -junior or junisjuvenis young, pario to produce, " quasi pariens semper juniores, since black or ripe berries and green ones are always hanging together on it," says Riddle. JURY-MAST. Temporary mast in place of one carried away. Thompson derives the term from a \vordjoure, about = temporary Fr. jour, day ; or from L. juvare, to assist. 124 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. Jal (Gloss. Naut.) says, "II nous semble que dans jury, appliqu a un mat, on pourrait voir/amz oujarro, nom que le bois de chne portait aux XIIP et XIV e siecles, comme 1'atteste le Gloss, de D. Charpentier. Unjarion etait un gros baton de chene, une perche de chene. Tout espece de bois de chene aura pu etre a.ppe\6jarion,jari,jury, puis par extension un espare de sapin ou d'autre bois aura pu retenir ce nom." The word is more probably from old ore (now oar), thus : ore-mast, hore-mast, jore-mast, jury-mast. Conf. jacinth, from hyacinth ; and WHERRY. K. KALAMANCO CATS. A Lancashire term for tortoise- shell cats ; so called from a fancied resemblance of the skin to the narrow stripes on some kinds of calamanco, a woollen stuff. The stuff has been going out of fashion since 1819. Calamanco comes from Low L. calamancus Mod. Gr. KafjujXavKiov, head-covering made of camel's hair Gr. Ka/^Aos, a camel. KEEL, KELLE, KELE, CULE. Bottom of a ship- Dan, kjol (Sw. kol) G. kiel kele, cavity kel, hollow Gr. KotXos, id. KEELSON, KELSON, KELSINE. The piece of timber over the keel of a ship, next above the floor timber (Dana] Sw. kdlsvin, Dan. kjdlsviin, or Norweg. kjollsvill, which some derive from G. kielschwein, keel-swine, which is absurd. Others translate last part of the word " son," and render it " son of the keel," " proceeding from the keel." It comes from Dan. sven, a swain (Sw. svend, also a servant). Jal (Gloss. Naut.) renders the word " le servant de la quille, son esclave, lajriece qui la suit, la defend, la couvre de son corps." NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 125 KERSEY. Species of coarse wollen cloth ; coarse stuff made chiefly in Kent and Devonshire. According to some the word is a corruption of Jersey, whence this cloth originally came. Others derive the word from Kersey, near Hadleigh (Suffolk), where the woollen trade was formerly carried on, and which was once a considerable manufacturing place. Bailey gives Teut. karsaye, Fr. carisee, Sp. carica, q.d. coarse say (serge), but the word is not found in Sp. The Sw. has carsay and carsai, the Belg. karsaye. Webster gives also D. karsai, Fr. carisel ,cariset, cresau, Sp. carisea, G. kersey, kirsei, Sw. cariset. Littre" renders cariset " e"toffe de laine croise"e, qui se fabrique en Angleterre et en Ecosse." The Norm, cresau is from croiser, to cross, and kersey is most probably from serge croisee. KERSEYMERE. Thin stuff generally woven plain from finest wools KERSEY (q.v.J, and mere, entire, unmixed, pure L. merus, pure, unmixed, entire, neat. KETCHUP, CATCHUP, CATSUP, KITJAP. The sauce ; now made from mushrooms or walnuts ; earlier a liquor extracted from mushrooms, tomatoes, walnuts, &c. Some derive the word from Hind, kachchap, a tortoise, turtle ; but the original ketchup was a kind of East Indian pickle (see Encyc. Perthensis) ; and the word, by aid of a prefix and suffix, is probably derived from Hind, dchar, pickles, or its root, Pers. dchar, which Johnson renders " powdered or salted fruits preserved in salt, vinegar, honey or syrup, particularly onions preserved in vinegar ; also the pickle or liquor which these meats or fruits are preserved in." For prefix conf. the name Chilperic from JElfric, childe from hild. It may have come thus : achar, kachar, kacharp, kecharp, ketchup. Or the last letter may have arisen thus : achar, kachar, kacha, kachau, kachav, kachap, ketchup. 126 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. KETTLEDRUM. A tea-party held by fashionable people between lunch and dinner; another word for drum, a tea before dinner ; properly a rout, evening party at which card- playing was carried on. " Specially noisy drums were called drum-majors " {Hunter). KEY, KEYE, KAY. Instrument to open or shut a lock A.S. cceg, cage, or O. Fries, kai, kei; corrupted from L. clavis (whence Fr. clef, cle) Gr. (cAefis /cAeis, key, lock, bolt K\to), to shut, close, bar, lock. KIBOSH. Nonsense, stuff, humbug; as, "It's all kibosh." To " put on the kibosh " is to put the stopper upon one. You effectually put on the kibosh when you prove to another that what he asks you to do will benefit neither party. Some think the term may have been formed from a Talmudic word for a small coin of little value, but it is more probably a growth of Cut bono ? Cassius laid it down as an axiom that, in examining conflicting evidence as to which of two parties had perpetrated a crime, we should be guided in forming our suspicions by inquiring which party becomes a gainer by the crime : cut bono ? to whom is the act for an advantage ? Who gains ? The maxim was thus applied by Cicero to the inculpation of Clodius and the exculpation of Milo, and in Cicero's defence of Milo we have it handed down to us as the "Cassian maxim." KID. Young goat (Dan. kid], by change of h to k from L. hcedus Heb. ^J, g'di, a kid ; or from Skt. huda, us, a ram But conf. Wachter under kitz, kutz. KILT. Kind of short petticoat, reaching from the stomach to the knees, worn by Scottish Highlanders and by children of the Lowlands Gael, ceilte, p.p. of ceil, to conceal. NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 127 KINGFISHER. The bird, so called because chief of the land birds that feed upon fish. See Willoughby (Ornithology), ed. by John Ray. It bores a hole in the ground, and makes a nest of fish-bones. KIRBY HOCK. Swelling or enlargement of hind leg of a horse a few inches below the hock Fr. courbe, curved, bent. Youatt writes the term curb, KIRK. Archaeological term for circle Gr. Ktp/cos, a circus, ring, circle (L. circus}. KISTVAEN. Chest composed of several large slabs of stone set upright and protected at top by a large slab placed horizontally, which contained relics of a person deceased W. cist-faen for cist-maen, stone-chest or chest-stone. See further Gent. Mag. Feb. 1822, in a paper by Sir Rich. Hoare ; also introduction to Beauties of England, p. 90. KITCHEN-MIDDEN. Term applied to heaps of oyster- shells and rubbish found in Scandinavia Dan. kjokken, kitchen ; modding, muck-hill, dunghill ; formerly mog dynge, mog, dung, soil, muck ; dynge, heap, hoard, mass, pile. KITE. The bird (Milvus)A.S. cyta Gr. i/mv, kite, falcon. Hence, the light frame of wood covered with paper for flying in the air, which at first resembled the bird. KLOOF. In S. Africa, a ravine, gully D. kloof, split, slit, clink, crevice, rent, tear kloven, to split, cleave, rent, divide. KNAVE. Petty rascal. Properly a boy-servant, but used by Shakspeare for both boy and rogue. The word is from A.S. cnafa, cnapa, boy, O.G. knob, slave, boy, youth, tyro, in Gotho-Teut. dialects found knabo, knapo, knappo, knappa, kneppe, knave, knafe, chnabe, cnave ; perhaps etymologically connected with KNIGHT, q.v. KNIGHT. The title A.S. cniht, cneoht, boy, youth, 128 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. attendant, servant (O. Sw. knecki) i.q. O.G. knet, knit Gr. Kovrjrrj<;, servant KOVCW, to make haste, lit. to raise dust, esp. by swift running KOVIS, dust. KNOT, KNOTTE. Complication of a cord or string. See NOOSE. KOUMISS, KUMISS, KUMISH, CHUMIS. In Russia, a liquor made by fermenting mares' milk ; favourite drink of the Kirghiz or Sara-Kai'ssaks, i.e. the Cossacks of the Steppe (Fr. koumiss, G. kumiss, kumys, kymys} = Russ. kumfyjisfej, in Marco Polo (Travels among the Tartars) kemiz ; in some works kuniyss, koumeez ; in Rubruquis, the French missio- nary who wrote in 1253, cosmos. KUMMEL. Liqueur made in Germany, Russia, &c., flavoured with caraway seeds, &c. G. kummel, caraway (Russ. kimlny). L. LABRUS. Genus of fishes, the wrasse L. labrus, kind of ravenous fish Gr. Aa/3poe, voracious Xao>, to look at eagerly (with a view to seize). Others derive labrus from labrum, a lip, because the lips are fleshy aud conspicuous. Conf. Nemnich (Allgem. Polyglott. Lex.), and Ovid. Met. iii. 224. LABURNUM. Ornamental deciduous tree (L.), so called from its fleeting flowers ("arboris genus in Alpibus crescens, diet, qudd habet flores labiales," says Littleton) labo, to give way, be ready to fall, decay. Conf. labilis, fig. perishable, transient. LADY, L^FDI, LEAFDI, LEFDI, LEVEDI, LEVEDY, LHEVEDI, LAFDIGH. Lit. a woman of high rank r. of LOAF, q.v. NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 129 LAITONS, LAITOONS. Tokens issued by the trades- men of Nuremberg, and formerly used in England as counters in casting up reckonings (Gent. Mag. June 1842, p. 562) ; another spelling of latten, kind of bronze used in the Middle Ages for crosses, candlesticks, &c. Fr. laiton, loton L. luteum, i.e. as luteum, yellow brass. LAMA. In Thibet and Mongolia, name applied to head of monastery, and to higher classes of priests. Tib. Ua-ma, an ecclesiastic, priest, is a title about = our D.D. Ua-ma, superior, spiritual teacher, father confessor ; lit. higher, upper. Hence the Mongol-Thibetan compound Ta-lai Bla-ma, great Lama ; lit. Ocean Lama ; whence Dalai Lama. The proper Thibetan term is Bla(ma) cen-po, great Lama. LAMB, LOME. Young sheep A.S. lamb Goth, lamb, in G. dialects found written lam and lamp. Some derive the A.S. word from Gr. a/nvos (male lamb) preceded by /; others, from A.S. hlemman, to make a noise, or O.G. limmen, to cry as a sheep or calf, to bleat, baa. Le Gonidec renders Bret, lamm, saut, action de sauter ; and lammont, sauter ; and Ihre, under O. Sw. lamb, says " apud Aremoricos lamma notat sal tare, quod non male huic generi animalium convenit." LAMINA. Bone or part of a bone resembling a thin plate ; lit. very thin piece of metal, &c. L. lamina, lamna, any thin piece of metal, wood, marble, horn, plate, leaf Gr. fXao-fjM, plate of metal eXawo>, to draw, make a ductile work, beat or hammer out. LAMPAS, LAMPASS, LAMPERS. In horses, swelling of the fleshy lining of the roof of the mouth It. lampasco O. Fr. lampas, id. ; so called, according to some, because it was formerly removed by burning with a lamp or hot iron. Others say from empas, gonflement au palais des chevaux, with K 130 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. / prefixed L. impede, to impede ; but the word is more probably from tempos, popular name for the palate (see Lafontaine's Paysan), because the disease attacks inside of the mouth. Again, lampas is said to be so called because it is the place through which the drink is poured, i.e. " quand on lampe," i.e. when one drinks large glasses of water. LAND, LANT. Urine A.S. hland, hlond (Icel. hland}, lotium, urina. Hence hlond-adle, urinalis dolor, dysuria, stranguria Kelt. Ian, Ion, water. Conf. Grose, under " Land, Lant;" Med. Quadr. 10, 2; and Cot. 176. LAND-DAM. " You are abus'd, and by some putter-on, That will be damn'd for'tj would I knew the villain ! I would land-damn him." W.'s T. ii. I. Walker thinks it should be live-dam. Collier reads lamback, to beat, belabour. In one place Steevens thinks we might read, " I'd laudanum him," i.e. poison him with laudanum ! According to Dr. Johnson it perhaps meant no more than " I will rid the country of him, condemn him to quit the land." Rann would translate land-damn, condemn to the punishment of being built up in the earth. Malone thinks we should read land-dam, i.e. kill him, bury him, bury him in the earth. But Sir T. Hanmer's suggestion is most probable : he renders land here lotium, ovpov. Conf. LAND, LANT. LARBOARD, LARBOORD. Left side of a vessel to one standing aft and looking forward. Some derive this word from D. lager, lower, because lager-hand is used for left hand in contradistinction to kooger-hand, right hand. Richardson thinks lar may be contrac. of laveer, and that that side of the NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^E. 131 ship was so called because it la-veers or lies obliquely to the starboard. In 1598 the word is found written leereboord, and the first part of the word is from O.E. leer, left (" His hat turn'd up o' the leer side too:" B. Jonson, Tale of a Tub, i. 4. " And his hat turn'd up with a silver clasp on his leer side : " Ibid. ii. 4), contracted from N. Fries, leefter, left (as in leefter hand, left hand) O. Fries, leeft, id. r. of LEFT, q.v. ; and Plat, board, board (side of a ship). Conf. leer with ster (from stedr) in Leinster, Munster, Ulster ; W. caer from Gael. cat hair; Fr. frere from /rater. LARGE. Of great size (Fr.) L. largus Gr. Xavpos, broad, much, copious Aa/?pos, huge, mighty. LARK, LARKE, LAVEROCK. The bird A.S. Idferce, lauerce, Idwerce D. keuwerck O.G. lerehha L. galerita {galeriia avis) ; because one species has a tuft on its head galeritus, that wears a hood. Conf. Gr. KopuSaXos, crested lark /coprSos, id. Kopus, helmet. LARKSPUR. English name of plants of the genus Delphinium, so called from fancied resemblance of the long spur of the flower to the talon of a lark. Its classical name is Delphinium, and it was so called, says Dioscorides, because the slender segments of its leaves resemble dolphins : " a resemblance," adds Rees, " rather to be found, according to the vulgar idea of that fish, between the curvature of its body and the horned nectary of the flower ; and Dodonasus suggests, on good authority, that the passage is so be under- stood." LARVA. Insect in the first stage of metamorphosis, a caterpillar (Latham) ; so called, says Linnaeus, because its first stage in a manner masks its ultimate form L. larva, a mask, properly a spectre, phantom which frequents certain 132 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. localities lar, a deity that presided over cities and private houses ; an Etruscan word which Arnobius derives from , street, quarter of a town (vicus, platea). LARYNX. Upper part of windpipe (L.) Gr. Xapvyg to receive. LASCIVIOUS. Lewd, wanton, lustful ; formed from Fr. lascif L. lasctvus, from a word laxivus laxus, loose. LATEEN, LATIN. Triangular sail carried by zebecs, polacres, settees, and other vessels navigated in the Mediter- ranean ; not from Latin, i.e. Roman sails, as some say, but from Fr. latine It. latino, corrupted from a la trina, at three angles L. trina, triple trinus, thrice tria, ires Gr. rpcis Skt. tri. LATH, LAT, LATTE. Slip of wood A.S. latteQ.G. latte Franc, lidon, to cut. Conf. Gloss. Fez. LAUD, LAUDEN. To praise L. laudare laude laus, praise ; lit. that which one hears of oneself duo, to hear oneself called Gr. /cXucu Skt. sru, to hear. LAUGH, LAUGHEN, LAGHEN, LAUHWEN, LAUGHEN, LIGHE, LIKE. To make that noise which sudden merriment excites A.S. hlehhan, hlihhan Goth. hlahjan Gr. yeXactv, word derived by sound. LAUGHING-STOCK. One who or that which is an object of ridicule. " Pray you let us not be laughing-stocks to other men's humours:" M. W. W. iii. i laughing and stock, a stupid or blockish person, who is as dull and lifeless as a post ; lit. something fixed, solid, and senseless ; a post A.S. stoc, siocc, stock, trunk, block, stick. LAUREL, LAURELL, LAURER, LORER. Evergreen so called Fr. laurier L. laurus, bay-tree ; formerly laurea laudta laude laus, praise. Isid. 17 Orig. 7, 2, " laurus, a NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 133 verbo laudis dicta. Hoc enim cum laudibus victorum capita coronabantur." But see also Juvenal 7, 19 ; Tibullus 2, 5, 63 ; and Martinius. LAW, LOW. Mound, hill A.S. hldw, hla>w Goth. hlaiw L. divus JEol. xXiTrvs Gr. K\ITV?, declivity, ridge or slope of a mountain K\ITOS, id. jcXij/w, to decline or go down. LAWINE. Snow-slip, avalanche G. lauwine, lawine, great mass of snow L. labor, labi, to fall, move downwards. LAWN, LAWND, LAUND. Properly an extent of untilled land between woods O. Fr. lande (W. llari], corrup. from L. planus, level, flat, plane. LEAD, LEED, LED, LEDE. The metal A.S. lead Dan. lod D. loot Gr. XUTOS, that may be dissolved (" nihil enim facilius solvitur ac liquescit quam plumbum," says Junius) Xvw, to loose, dissolve. LEAGUE, LEAGE. In England, a distance of three statute miles. O. Fr. legue (Low L. leuca, lego) Gaulish kuca, properly a stone which marked the distance. [" Men- suras viarum quas nos milliaria dicimus, Graeci stadia, Galli leucas: " Isid. in Dief. Celtica.] Bret, led, lev, tiu. Conf. W. llech, flat stone, Gael. & Ir. leac. LEAM, LIAM, LIME, LYAM. A collar or string (Fr. lien, cord or string) L. ligamen, band or tie ligo, to bind, tie obs. Gr. Xvyo> Xvyow (whence Xvyiw), to tie fast. LEASON. In cookery, a thickening or binding Fr. liaison, binding Her, to bind L. ligo, id. LEATHER, LETHER. Prepared skin of an animal A.S. lether (Sw. Idder, Dan. lether; G. Belg. & D. leder ; D. leer, Icel. lethr), said to be from W. llethr (Armor, ledr, Gael. leathar) ; but the word more probably denotes the skin which 134 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. covers the cutis A.S. kltd, cover, tegmen, velamen, oper- torium. LEFT, LIFT, LUFT, LYFT. Side opposite right A.S. left (Fries. leefl\ formed from L. Icevu* Gr. Aaifos Aaios, the left. LEMON. Name of a sole,, sometimes called lemon dab ; larger than the common dab Fr. limonde, dab, flounder, mud-fish, poisson de mer fort plat li?non, mud L. limus. LEMURES (L.) In antiquity, ghosts of departed persons supposed to wander over the world after death, and to disturb the peace of its inhabitants, terrifying the good, and haunting the wicked for Remures, so called after murdered Remus, whose ghost troubled Romulus. Conf. Ovid, Fast. v. 421, who says the Festival Remuria was instituted to appease the ghost of Remus. He calls it Nocturna Lemuria. LENTIL. Leguminous plant O. Fr. lentille L. leniicula, dim. of lens, -tis, id. ; according to Isid. xvii. 4, from lentus, slow. He says " lens vocata (est), qu6d humida et lenta est, vel qudd adhseret htimi." Pliny (18, 12, 31, sec. 123) says " lens amat solum tenue." LESION. Hurt, injury (Fr.) L. Icesione lasio Icedo, to hurt, metath. of S^Xcw. LEVIN, LEVENE, LEAVEN, LEVYN (Chaucer, LEVEN). Lighting "burning levin:" Reynolds, Seamstress, p. 24. Qu. Scot, levin, levyn, (i) lightning, flash of fire ; (2) light of the sun ; (3) scorn, contempt, as with levin, in a light manner ; O.E. " leuyn, coruscatio, fulgur, fulmen ; lightyn or leuennyn. Coruscat." Prompt. Parv. LEWIS, LEWISSON. Instrument formerly used by builders to raise stones of more than ordinary weight to upper part of a building. It was revived by a French artisan in the NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 135 reign of Louis XIV. Playfair (Algeria, p. 297) speaks of triangular lewis holes being cut in their exterior faces in the amphitheatre of El-Djem. LICHAVEN. Two upright stones supporting one across them W. llech-faen, a flat stone llech-maen llech flat, and maen. LIGNEOUS. Woody L. ligneus lignum, wood (like lignum from tego) lego, to gather, because it is collected in the fields for the fire ; or, as others say ligo, to bind, because it is bound up in the fields. But conf. Isid. 19, Orig. 19, 3 ; Varro, Vossius, Nunnesius, and Littleton. LIGURE. Precious stone (mentioned in Ex. xxxvii. 19 ; xxx. 12) L. ligurius Gr. Xiyvpiov, said to be a gem; a reddish amber, but more probably the modern jacinth. Some derive the word from Avy/cos ovpos, from the vulgar belief that it was petrified lynxes' water (Conf. Diosc. 2, 100). It was more probably called Xiyvptov as coming from Liguria, whence the Ligures had their name. But see Plin. 37, 2 ; Strabo, 4, p. 202 ; Joseph. A. J. in. vii. 6 ; and Stephanus, under Xiyvpos. LILLIKIN. Small kind of pin dim. of Kile, for little. LILT. To sing or play cheerfully and merrily (Sco.) Su. Goth, lulla, to sing. Conf. G. lullen, to lull a child to sleep. LING, a termination of nouns, as in codling, gosling, riddling, stripling, is not, as some assert, a double diminutive. It is a diminutive formed from the patronymic ing, originally = young, with / prefixed for euphony. LINSEY. Cloth made of linen and wool mixed ; so called from Lindsey, near Hadleigh, Suffolk, where it was first made. Hence linsey woolsey, kind of flannel of which 136 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. the woof only is composed of wool, the warp being thread. Woolsey is probably meant for rhyme. LIST (i). Border or edge of anything ; wooden border on doors and windows Sw. list, moulding, cornice, plat-band, border (Dan. liste, D. lijst, A.S. list, Fr. lice). Manage derives Fr. word from licia, fern, of licium, filum (thread, string, cord). From the same root are L. h'cece, and Fr. lice, lieu ferine" de barrieres. LIST (2). Desire, pleasure, wish A.S. lyst, desire, love, admiration lust, desire, pleasure, delight, exultation Dan. lysi Goth, lustus, pleasure. LITTER, LYTERE. A brood litter, to be brought to bed ; lit. to strew or straw a bed O.E. litere, a bed O. Fr. litiere (Sp. litera), a litter L. lectus, bed, couch Gr. \exos obs. Xe^o), to lay oneself down (to sleep). LIVID. Discoloured, as the flesh by a blow ; of a leaden colour, black-and-blue Fr. livide L. lividus, bluish, blue liveo, to be bluish or blue ; according to Nunnesius, by trans- position, from Gr. -n-eXcios, niger, fuscus, lividus. LLAMA. The quadruped ; a Peruvian word signifying cattle or sheep ; as huanaca-llama, greater cattle, &c. ; paco- llama, smaller cattle, &c. LOACH, LOACHE, LOCHE. Small fish allied to the minnow Fr. loche (Sp. loja, locha, loche]. According to some the fish derived its name from its restlessness and vivacity Fr. looker, e"branler, vaciller, mouvoir ; " est enim piscis admirandae pene vivacitatis," says Minshew. A writer in P. Cyc., under " Cobitis," says, " The loaches are extremely restless during stormy weather, when they generally rise to the surface of the water, which from their restlessness is kept in constant agitation." But the stone loach probably had NITCES ETYMOLOGIC.^. 137 its name from Bret, liac'h, leac'h, a stone (Gael, leac, flag, flat stone, W. llech). LOAF, LOOP, LOF. Shaped portion of bread A.S. hldf (Goth, hlaifs, hlaibs]; lit. raised hlifian, to raise. Hence hldf and ord (L. ortus ?} hldf-ord, properly of exalted origin ; by corrup. loverd, by contrac. lord. Again, from hldf, with part, termination hlafed, by contrac. hlafd ; with an adj. termination hlafdig, by dropping first letter lafdig; lit. one raised or elevated, i.e. to her husband's rank ; then lady. LOBBING. Loitering ; as lobbing cabs to lob, to hang languidly, allow to droop. LOBLOLLY-BOY. Derisive term for one who, on board a man-of-war, attends the surgeon and his mates, and com- pounds medicines loblolly, sea term for groat gruel or hasty pudding ; lit. gruel or spoon meat ; allied to lollypop, for lollypap. LOBSCOUSE, LOBSCOURSE, LAP'S COURSE. Nautical term for an olla podrida of salt meat, biscuit, potatoes, onions, spices, &c., mixed small, and stewed (in Sweden Lappscouse) lob, something thick and heavy; course, the dishes placed upon the table at one time. LOCUS (L.) A place Etrusc. stlocus sistlocus, probably a dim. formed from sisto, to stand still, stay. Conf. Us stilts ; and see Quint. Inst. Orat. I. iv. 15 ; Fest. Qu. xiv. 18, p. 313 (Paul. p. 312). LOCUST, LOCUSTE. The winged insect ; also a shell- fish and a tree (called St. John's Bread) L. locusta, lucusta, the insect, also a kind of lobster, which Isid. (Orig. xii. 18) derives from L. longa hasta, long spear, qu6d pedibus sit longis veluti hasta ;" and he adds, "unde et earn Graeci, tam 138 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. maritimam quam terrestrem, astacon appellant." But see also Vossius, who derives locusta from locus ustus ; and Pliny, H. N. xi. 29, post med. S. 35. LOO. Name of a game of cards ; shortened form of lanterloo (Mod. Fr. lariurlu, lanturelu}, rendered " le jeu de la bete dans quelques provinces : refrain d'un fameux vandeville du temps du Cardinal de Richelieu, et dont le nom, pris adverbialement, a servi pour indiquer soit un refus meprisant soit une re"ponse Evasive. ' II lui a r6pondu Ian- turlu? " Conf. the Russian game of cards called Eralaje, which resembles whist, and signifies absurdity, nonsense. LONG. Extended, drawn out A.S. long, lang L. longus .^Eol. Xo^i^os for ^oXi^os. LOOT. In Hindustan, to plunder Hind. ci>J, lut, plunder, robbery, pillage Skt. lut. LORD, LAVERD, LOVERD. Nobleman or peer of Great Britain; lit. one possessing supreme power or authority r. of LOAF, g.v. LOSSAN. Luminosity of the sea (Smyth) Manx lossan, a flame, blaze. LOUT, LOWT. Mean awkward fellow, bumpkin ; lit. one of the lower orders A.S. leod, countryman ; lit. people O.G. leut, a man (pi. leute), also plebs, vulgus Sw. lyda, to obey. Conf. Wachter under " Leute." LOVAGE, LOVEAGE, LOVEACH, LIVISH. Plant of genus Ligusticum, sometimes used as an aromatic stimulant D. lavas (O. Fr. levesche, Mod. Fr. liveche) L. levisticum for ligusticum, so named because some of the species grow or grew in Liguria. LOW. See LAW. LOZENGE, LOSENGE. Confection, sweetmeat NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 139 O. Fr. lozenge Sp. lozdnje Ar. ^Ju ;J, lawzinaj, confection of almonds lawz (H. nV, luz), almond. LUCRE. Pecuniary gain or advantage (Fr.) L. lucrum, gain, profit ; lit. that which serves for paying luo, to pay ; lit. to set loose Gr. Auw. LUDICROUS. Burlesque, merry, exciting laughter L. ludicrus ludus (var. loidus, loedus, lydus), a game, play, show; so called from the Lydii (Lydians). Isid. (18 Orig. 16, 2) says, " Ludorum origo sic traditur. Lydii ex Asia transvenae in Etruria consederunt, duce Tyrrhene, qui fratri suo cesserat regni contentione. Igitur in Etruria, inter ceteros ritus superstitionum suarum, spectacula quoque religionis nomine instituerunt. Inde Romani accersitos artifices mutuati sunt, et inde ludi a Lydis vocati sunt." Conf. Forcellini (Lat. Lex.) Hence, indirectly, from ludus or ludo, allude, allusion, collude, collusion, delude, delusion, elude, elusion, illude, illusion, prelude. LUG -SAIL. Four-cornered sail bent to a yard, which is slung at a point two-thirds of its length Dan. lykke, fortune. It is i.q. Fr. voile de fortune. Jal says " voile de fortune ou treou. Par une extension du sens primitif, on a nomine" lug-sail la voile au tiers." LULLABY. Song to lull or compose children to sleep ; orig. lallaby, la ! la ! used by nurses for that purpose. Hence Sw. fallen, to hum, lull Dan. lulle, Eng. lull, to compose to sleep by a pleasing sound. Conf. Junius under lullaby ; Turnebus, liv. xx. ; and Menage ; also L. lotto, to sing lulla, lalla, as to a child when going to sleep, to sing a lullaby as the nurse doth. Conf. Pers. iii. 17; Hieron. Ep. ad Heliod. LUNT-FECHT. Name given to the numerous fierce and sanguinary skirmishes which took place about Edinburgh 140 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. between May and September, 1571 Sco. lunt, torch, flame of a smothered smoke which suddenly bursts into a blaze, column of flaming smoke ; also to blaze, flame vehemently ; fecht,facht,f aught, fight, battle. LUPINE. The plant L. lupinus, said to derive its name from lupus, a wolf, because it penetrates the soil with wolfish eagerness and exhausts it Gr. XVKOS Skt. vrika, vrikas ; lit. seizing, rapacious vrik, to seize. Others say from X.vTnj, grief, whence Virgil's epithet, tristes lupini, from the fanciful idea of its acrid juices, when tasted, producing a sorrowful countenance. Both suggestions are from Vossius. LURES, LUREN. In archaeology, certain remarkable war trumpets, formed of molten brass. (See Worsaae, Prim. Antiq. of Denmark, p. 33 ; Smith's Cork, vol. ii. ; Gough's Camden, iv. 231) O. Fr.loure, grosse musette, instrument a vent L. lura, mouth of a skin or leather bag, skin, leathern sack ; lit. that which is cut Skt. lu, to cut. LYMPH, LYMPH A. Water, transparent colourless liquor L. lympha, id. ; also water and a water-nymph - Gr. w/jir), id. ; lit. newly-married bride. LYNCHET. Line of green sward separating ploughed lands in common fields ; dim. of linch, ledge, rectangular projection A. S. hlinch, balk, ridge of land left unploughed as a boundary. M. MAGPIE. The bird -pie (Fr.) L. pica, and mag, to talk. Littleton renders pica, a py, py-annet, mag-py, or chatter-py. MAIL, MALE. Conveyance by which letters, &c., are carried ; lit. bag for conveyance of letters O. Fr. male, bag, NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 141 wallet M.H.G. malhe O.H.G. malaha, leather wallet, i.q. Sp. maleta It. valigia r. of wallet. MALLARD, MALARD, MALARDE. Common wild duck O. FT. mallard, malard, mallart, malart, maslart (Bret. mailhard), id. Low L. mallardus, contrac. of a word mascu- lardus L. masculus (and ard like), dim. of mas, a male. MALLENDERS, MALANDERS, MALANDRIA. A horse disease consisting of a scurfy eruption on the inside of the hock, or a little below it, as well as at the bend of the knee. It is called mallenders in the fore leg, sallenders in the hind leg (Fr. malandrie, malandre, It. malandra, Berry malandre, malady in general) O. Fr. malandres L. malandria, blisters or pustules in the neck (esp. in horses), which some derive from malleus, a disease of cattle; others from Gr. //.oAAos, soft, then infirm, things which are soft being generally infirm and weak ; or from //.aAis, a disease of horses, kind of asthma ; thus /AO.A.IS, /toXas, /xaXaiTo?, //.aXavSes, //.aAavSpos, malandra. MANATEE, MANATI, MANATIN. Haytian name of the manatus, gregarious aquatic animal like the whale, but herbivorous, found about tropical S. America ; the sea-cow Sp. mandti, mandto (N.L. manatus), said to be so called because of its hand-shaped flipper or fore fin mano, hand. " The vestiges of nails are observable on the edges of their flippers, which they use dexterously enough in creeping and carrying tkeir young. This has caused these organs to be compared to hands, whence the name Manati or Manatee." (P. Cyc.) By prefixing the feminine instead of the masculine article, it is called in the Antilles, both in French and English, lamantin, lamentin. According to others, lamantin is the native name, being derived from the Guarany (Tupi) or one of its numerous dialects. 142 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. MANDOLINE, MANDOLIN. Musical instrument of the lute kind, but smaller It. mandoline (vulg6 mandorlino], dim. of mandola mandora, corrupted from L. pandura Gr. TravSoiyjo. MARE, MERE. Female horse A. S. mere, fern, of mearh, a horse Icel. mar, id. Low L. mare L. mas, of the male sex ; probably, by prefixing m, from apprjv or apa-rjv, mas, masculus, as Mars from Mavors, says Riddle. MAROON, MARRAON, MARRON. Brownish crimson or claret colour Fr. marron, chestnut-coloured marron, a large chestnut Sp. moreno, brown, a dark colour, inclining to black. MARROW, MAROW, MARWHE, MARUGHE, MARY. Fine and delicate fat contained in the hollow of bones A.S. mearg, merg, mearh, mearu, mearwu, soft. Conf. O.G. mark mar, soft. MARSUPIAL. Term applied to animals having a pouch to carry immature young L. marsupium, pouch, purse Gr. /iapcrvTTtov //.apcriTrioj/, pouch, wallet, pocket, purse, satchel fjiapr] hand, O-ITTUT; bag. MARTYR. One who by his death bears witness to the truth (A.S.) L. martyr Gr. paprvp, a witness papi), hand, the hand being usually extended when testimony was given. MASTIFF, MASTIF, MASTYF, MESTYF, MASTIVE, MASTIS. Variety of dog of an old English breed. Chambers (Inf. for the People) says the mastiff is supposed to have been produced betwixt the Irish greyhound and the English bulldog. Pennant thinks the variety called matin in French is a descendant of the Irish greyhound. Menage has " metis ou metif, chien entre le matin et le levrier." Man- wood (P. Cyc.) says the word is derived from " mase thefese, NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^S. 143 because it is supposed to terrify thieves by its voice, which, when the animal is excited, is fearfully deep and loud." Whatever the breed, I take it that the English and French words are from the same root. Covarruvias says, Sp. mastin is from mixtus, " the matins being ordinarily dogs produced from two species." Roquefort has " metice, metif, metis, metive, mulet, mulatre, enfant produit de deux races." Dufresne gives " mestizus, Hispanis et Americanis mixtum natus est." Manage derives metis (Sp. mestizo, Anjou metif} thus : Mixtus, mistus, mistitius, m6tis. Our word probably came thus : Mixtus, mixtivus, mestivus, O. Fr. mestif, mastiff. MASTODON. Large fossil animal, akin to the ele- phant ; so named from the crowns of the teeth, large conical points of a mammiform structure /mores, teat ; oSov 0805, tooth. MAUND, MAND. Formerly a hand-basket A.S. mand, mond (D. mand, A.S. mond} Prov. G. mand, mande, manne Fr. manne, basket of osier Bret, manne, man, id. L. manus, hand. Conf. W. maned, hand - basket, Low L., Pic., & Hainault mande, Wall, mante. MAVIS, MA VISE. Song-thrush ; sometimes the red- wing O. Fr. mauvis, mauveis, mauve Bret, milvid, milwit, milfid, milfit, milhuit (Low L. malvitius) L. malum vitis, scourge or plague of the vine, because it injures the grape. MAZAGRAN. In France common term for black coffee served in a tall glass with water; so called because at the siege of Mazagran, in Algeria, the French soldiers were advised to drink it thus in lieu of brandy. " Mazagran, breuvage dont le nom et 1'usage datent de I'h6roique defense de Mazagran, en Alg6rie, par le capitaine Lelievre; on sert, dans un verre profond, du cafe noir, avec une cuiller a long 144 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. manche, pour meler le sucre et 1'eau, et quelquefois l'eau-de- vie que le consommateur ajoute." (Littre.) MAZURKA. Polish national air and dance, more pro- perly applied to the dancer Pol. mazurkha, fern, of Mazur, a Mazovian or Masovian, i.e. of Mazovia or Masovia, prov. of Poland. MEAT, MEATE, METE. Flesh to be eaten, food in general A.S. mete, mate, met, meat, food (Sw. mat, victuals, O.H.G. maz, food, Goth, mats, id., Alam. muas, Sp. mueso] O.G. mat, food mus, food, nutriment Keltic mes, a portion, a meal ; mast, acorns, this fruit, as well as fern roots, having been used as a substitute for bread by the ancient Britons. MEDICINE. Physic, any medicine administered by a physician O. Fr. medecine L. medicina, relating to physic, i.e. curing of diseases, &c. medicus, healing medeor, to heal, cure Gr. ^Sojaat, to deliberate, devise, consult for /u^Sos, care, counsel. MEDULLA (L.) Marrow in bones, pith of plants or vegetables, from a word mediola medius, middle, " quia in medio ossis," says Littleton. MELITARSY. Another and better name for diabetes, invented by late Dr. Golding Bird Gr. /*eXi, -ITOS, honey, saccharum or sugar of the ancients ; pew, to flow. MEMBER. Limb, part appendent to body Fr. membre L. membrum Gr. /xeXos, limb, thus : /x.eXos, fifi(3X(K, p.fp- {tpos, membrum. MENAGERIE. Orchestra of a theatre (slang), so called because in Shakespeare's time plays were frequently acted in bear-baiting courts Fr. menagerie, place for keeping wild animals ; properly, place where animals of a household are nourished manege, household masnage. NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 145 MENDICANT. A beggar L. mendicante mendicans mendico, to beg mendicus, beggarly, beggar manu with the hand, dice to say, to speak, because it was anciently the cus- tom among beggars to extend the hand, whilst shutting the mouth. MENHIR. Great unhewn stone in form of an obelisk set upright Bret, men-hir, long stone men stone, hir long. MEPHITIC. Offensive to the smell; foul, poisonous, noxious Fr. mephitique L. mephiticus, pestilential mephitis, noxious pestilential exhalation from the ground, said to be so called from Mephitis, Mefitis, the goddess who averted pestilential exhalations, which Scaliger thinks is an Etrus- can word borrowed from the Syr. mSD. But see Fabretti (A.) Inscrip. Ital. Antiq. under " Mefitaiiais," referring to Mommsen and Fiorelli. Conf. also Plin., Virg., Pers., Tac., and Lempriere. MERCURY, MERCURIE. Quicksilver. Pereira (Materia Medica) says " it has been called mercury from Mercury, messenger of the gods, on account of its volatility; and, indeed, Mercury is represented as being extremely quick in all his movements." According to others, it was named after the planet Mercury because of its quick motion, for, while the earth moves in its orbit 68,040 miles an hour, Mercury moves 109,360 miles Fr. Mercuric L. Mercurius, god of merchandise merces, merchandise. MERE. Word frequently used by Shakspeare in a sense different from that in which it is now generally used ; as " My friend to his mere enemy," M. of V. iii. 2 ; " Your mere enforcement," R. III. iii. 7 ; " Second childishness and mere oblivion," A. Y. L. I. ii. 7 ; " This is mere madness" L 146 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. Ham. v. i ; " The mere perdition of the Turkish fleet," Oth. ii. 2. In all these instances mere means either absolute or entire L. merits, var. alone, only, simple, nothing else, pure, clean, genuine, real, unmixed ; lit. alone, divided from others Gr. p.upw, to divide. MERINGUE. Confection made of whites of eggs and powdered lump sugar, usually garnished with whipped cream or comfits. Scheler thinks the word may be from Sp. melindre, sort of fritters made of honey (miel] and flour ; but M.. Simdon I.uce is of opinion that it had its name from Mehringen (in Anhalt, Germany ?), which exports a great deal of pastry. MERLE. Blackbird Fr. merle L. merula, which White and Riddle render the " deserving one," in reference to its melodious note mereo, to deserve. It was rather named from the fact that it is wont to fly and feed alone. Varro, L. L. iv. 2, says, " merula, qu6d mera, id est sola, volitat : contra ab eo graculi, quod gregatim." And Festus, " merum antiqui dicebant solum : unde et avis merula nomen adcepit, qu6d solivaga est, et solitaria pascitur." MERLING. Small fish, the whiting L. merula, a salt- water fish, said to be a species of whiting or merling ; pro- bably from r. of MERLE, q.v. MERMAID. Sea-woman ; an animal with a woman's head and fish's tail O.G. meer-maid meer, the sea Goth, marei L. mare, and O.G. maid, used in poetry for maid. The A.S. word is mere-men. METAPHYSICS. Ontology; doctrine of the general affections of substances existing O.E. metaphysic L. meta- physica. According to Clemens Alexandrinus the term is = supernatural ; and he is said to be confirmed by an anony- mous commentator, whom Patricius translated into Latin, and NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 147 styled Philoponus. But Gr. /u,era signifies after, next, next to ; and there is but little doubt the term was first used by Andronicus of Rhodes, who, out of the materials employed in compiling the Physics of Aristotle, set down after them, and designated as " /xcra ra , to buzz, whizz. MIGRATE. To remove from one country to another L. migratus migro, to change one's place or habitation Heb. TUD magur, a travelling about gur, to travel. Others derive migro from meo, to go ; agro, from the land. MILK, MVLK, MELK, MELKE. Liquor with which animals feed their young from the breast (Latham] A.S. meolc (O.G. milech, milich, miluch, milih, miloh, miluh) Goth. miluks. Conf. Gr. /xeXxa, a cooling food made from sour milk ; a/xeAyw (a/ia together, yaXa milk), to milk. MILLET. Name of a plant Fr. millet dim. of mil L. milium, so called from the abundance of its seeds mille, a thousand. Conf. Festus, Isidorus, and Rees (Cyc.) under " Milium." MINCE, MINCEN. To cut up Fr. mincer mince, small L. minutus, id. minuo, to make small or less. Conf. L. minutim comminuere, to break small. MINIUM. Red lead (L.), which some derive from Sp. mina, a mine ; others from Minius (Minho), river of Portugal. According to Justinius, xliv. 3, however, the river was named from the quantity of minium that it holds. 148 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. MINORESSE. Amiddis sawe I Hate ystonde, That for the wrathe and ire, and onde Semid to be a minoresse, An angry wight, a chideresse. CHAUC. R. R. 149. Urry says minoresse may be fern, of miner, an underminer, but Speght considers right reading to be moveresse, a stirrer of debate ; for, says he, so it is in the French verses in the oldest written copies. If so, moveresse is from O. Fr. mover, to stir up, move L. movere, id. MISER. Niggard ; lit. miserable person, one wretched or afflicted L. miser, wretched, pitiful, miserable obs. Gr. fjLia~r]por]yo, to flow. ODIC. Pertaining to the peculiar force or influence called od, which some derive from the Scandinavian deity Odin, who was supposed to be the all-pervading spirit of nature. OGHAM, OGUM, Occult manner of writing used by the ancient Irish, one species of which is said to have been invented by Ogma, son of Elathan, King of Ireland. Conf. O'Donovan (John), Diet., Dublin, 1845, 8vo, introd. xxxvii. xxviii. OGRES. Imaginary Eastern monsters which figure in many fairy tales ; so called from the Ogurs or Onogurs, savage Asiatic horde which overran part of Europe about NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 157 the middle of the 5th Century; whence the Hungarians derived their name ; thus, Ogur, Ugur, Unger, Hungarii. OLD SCRATCH. See SCRATCH (OLD). OLEANDER. The tree O. Fr. oleandre, said to be corrupted from Low L. lorandrum. But its Low L. name was arodandarum (var. arodandruni), and, according to Isidore, lorandum was substituted for arodandarum because its leaves are like to the laurel (laurus). Again, arodandarum is a corruption of rhododendrum, which was adopted by Linnaeus from Dioscorides, whose poSoSevSpov is, however, merely a synonym to his vfpiov (our nerium], the poSo8avr] of the modern Greeks. Conf. Isid. Orig. lib. 17, cap. vii. sec. 64 ; and Papias, MS. Bituric. OLFEND. Old word said to mean camel, but properly elephant alfyn (var. alphyn, alfino, alphino, aufin, awfiyn, alphilus, alferez, arfil, alfiere\ original name for the bishop in chess, a word borrowed by the Spaniards from the Moors r. of ELEPHANT, q.v. See also Sat. Mag. 27 Feb. 1841, on origin of names of chessmen. Conf. also Goth, albandus, a camel. OLIVE, OLYVE, OLIUE. The fruit of the olive-tree Fr. olive oliva, olea, the fruit and tree Gr. cXaia, id. ; said to be from Skt. li, to melt, liquify ; but the Skt. has a word for the' tree and the berry. OMBRE, HOMBER, HUMBER. Game of cards played by three (O. Fr.) Fr. hombre Sp. hombre, game said to be so called on account of the thought required to play it ; a game worthy of man (hombre L. homo}. But the game was rather so called from the player, hombre, " the man," who enters the pool (Sp. polla] against the others (" Sp. hombre, en el jue'go se dice el que entra la p611a, por jugarla solo contra los 158 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. otros "). Hence we read, " L'hombre a gagne". Qui est 1'hombre ? C'est lui qui est 1'hombre. M. N. est 1'hombre." Conf. Richelet (Diet, de la Lang. Frang. 1769 ; Ch. de M6re", le Livre du Jeu de 1'Hombre; Dice, de la Accad. Espan. > and Bescherelle, Diet. Frang. OMEN (L.) Sign, good or bad ; prognostic (Latham). Fisher (115, ed. Miiller) says omen is for oremen os, oris, mouth " quod fit ore augurium, quod non avibus aliove modo fit." Varro (L. L. 7, 71, sec. 76) says omen is for osmen, lit. the thing spoken;" omen, quod ex ore primum elatum est, osmen dicitur." Osmen is from os, mouth ; lit. eating thing Skt. as, to eat. OMNIBUS. The public vehicle (Fr.) L. omnibus, for all omnis, all, for a word ominis Gr. o/x,as, o/x-aSos, whole (aTro TOV oju-a>s, simul). ONAGER. Wild ass of the Asiatic deserts (L.) Gr. ovaypos ovos ass, ay/nos wild. ONE. Person conceived or spoken of indefinitely, as in phrase " One says " O. Fr. on, var. ons, ome, omme, hon, hons, horn, home, horns L. homo, a man. Conf. Fr. on dit, G. man sagt. ONEYERS. " I am joined with no foot-land rakers, no long-staff sixpenny strikers, none of these mad mustachio purple-hued malt-worms ; but with nobility and tranquillity, burgomasters and great oneyers, such as can hold in." H. IV. Pt. i. ii. i. The first 4to has oneyres ; second and subsequent copies, oneyers. Sir Thos. Hanmer reads owners; Dr. John- son, great ones, with cant termination " great oneyers, or great one-eers, as we say privateer, auctioneer, circuiter." Capell reads great mynheers ; Pope suggests great oneraires = trustees or commissioners. Theobald, on authority of Hardinge, NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 159 reads, great money ers, and says "a money er (found momyors, moniers] is an officer of the Mint who makes coin. Moneyers are also taken for bankers, or those that make it their trade to turn and re-turn money." Malone writes " onyers" public accountants, men possessed of large sums of money belonging to the State;" and he suggests a probable origin of the word, which is also found in Cowel's Law Diet. (1727) under " O. NI. :" "In the Exchequer, as soon as a sheriff enters his accounts for issues, amerciaments, and mean profits, they set upon his head (sic) this mark O. NI., which denotes Oneratur, nisi habet sufficientem exonerationem ; and thereupon he forthwith becomes the king's debtor, and a debet set upon his head, and then the parties peravayle (lowest tenant) become debtors to the sheriff, and discharged against the king; Co. 4 Inst. fol. 116." Malone adds, "To settle accounts in this manner is still called in the Exchequer to 'ony;' and perhaps hence Shakspeare formed the word onyers." See also Ruding (Annals of the Coinage of Great Britain). OPINION. Sentiments, judgment L. opinions opinio, opinion, judgment obs. opinio^ to think, judge, suppose Gr. VTTL voeu), to think secretly, conjecture wrw, under, in, with ; vocw, to have in the mind vous, mind. OPOPANAX, vulgb OPAPONAX. Gum resin formerly used in medicine Gr. OTrovava^, juice of plant ira.va rrava/ces, all-healing TTO.V all, aKew to cure. Conf. Theoph. Hist. Plants, lib. ix. c. 12 ; Diosc. lib. iii. 55. OPPIDAN. Inhabitant of a town ; lit. relating to a town L. oppidanus oppidum, oppedum, opidum, any town, any besides Rome ; lit. a walled town, so named because those who flock to it become wealthy, or because in towns they bring together 160 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. their wealth, or because a town is built for wealth, or to protect it ope ops, wealth, riches Skt. pa, to obtain. Conf. Paulus apud Fest. p. 184 (Miiller) ; Cic. apud Festus ; Varr. L. L. iv. 32 ; Pomp. Dig. 50, 15, 239, sec. 7 ; and Forcel- lini. ORCHID. British plants so called, chiefly of the genera Orchis and Ophrys (Latham) ; properly orchis, old name alluding to testicular shape so remarkable in roots of many species ; indeed, the resemblance caused these roots to be used as an aphrodisiac or restorative L. orchis G. (Conf. Theoph. H. p. 9, 18; 3 Dios. 3, 141.) Hence kind of olive, so called from its shape. ORDEFF, ORDEF. Word frequently used in charters of privileges for a liberty whereby a man claims the ore found in his own ground. It properly signifies ore lying under ground (just as a del/or deff ot coal is coal in veins under ground) A.S. or ore, delfan to dig. ORGANZINE. Corded or thrown silk that has passed twice through the mill Fr. organsin(G. organsin, die organ - seide) It. organzino organo, mechanical instrument fitted for a particular use. OS SACRUM (L.) Bone which forms posterior part of pelvis, the sacred bone ; so called because it contributes to pro- tect genital organs, which were considered sacred, or because it was offered in sacrifice. Conf. DUNGLISON. OSCILLATE. To swing or sway to and fro L. oscillatus oscillo, to swing (whence oscillum, a swing) obs, ob, towards, to, before ; cillo, to move, put in motion do, to move Gr. KIW, to go eta, id. OUNCE, UNCE. Unit of weight O. Fr. unceL. undo. Gr. ouyyia, ovy/aa Ar. ajJjU, wdkiyah. NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 161 OVEN, OUEN. Place for baking bread, &c. A.S. ofen, ofn (Goth, auhns}, by change of p to f from Gr. nrvov ITTVOS, oven, furnace. OVATION. Any extraordinary and spontaneous exhibi- tion of honour paid to a public favourite L. ovatione ovatio, inferior kind of triumph ; according to Plutarch and Servius from ovts y a sheep, because the general sacrificed a sheep on the occasion. The word comes rather from ovo, to celebrate or keep such triumph ; lit. to exult, rejoice, shout " Evoe" at the festival of Bacchus ; like euoi, natural sound. OVERSLAUGH. Bar of a river, in the marine language of the Dutch (local, N.Y., Bartlett}M.o&. D. overslag, a band. P. PAALSTAV, PAALSTAVE, PAALSTAB. Name given by Scandinavian and German antiquaries to a variety of the bronze instrument known as celt, a name which Mr. Thorns recommended for adoption by English archaeologists. Ogilvie defines it as " a wedge- or axe-shaped weapon united to a cleft haft, used by Celtic nations. But see Archasologia, vol. ii. p. 74, which gives a representation of a variety of the paalstav still used in Iceland, and there called by that name. The word is from Icel. pallr stake, stafr staff. PACE (L.) Lit. with the peace, i.q. the tacit consent, of the person addressed pax, peace r. of peace. PAGAN. Heathen, idolater; lit. countryman L. paganus, lit. belonging to the country or to villages pagus, a village Gr. Trayos, rocky hill, because villages were built on hills. PAIGLE, PAGLE, PEAGLE, PAIGIL. Popular name for the cowslip. Minshew says, of cowslip of Jerusalem, M 162 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. " paralytica, qu6d paralyticos sanet : because it is good against the palsie, G. schwindel-kraut" Another medical writer says of paigil peagle, " the flowers are used in infusion, and are supposed to be antispasmodic and anodyne." Again, Lindley: " the flowers of the cowslip (P. veris) possess well-marked sedative and diaphoretic properties, and make a pleasant soporific wine ; its root has a smell resembling anise, and was formerly used as a tonic nervine, and also as a diuretic." Again, the French names for cowslip are herbe a la paralysis, herbe de paralysie, and fleur de paralysie ; and the W. has parly s for palsy, and llsiaifr parlys, the herb or plant palsy, the oxlip. I derive paigle thus: Paralysis, parlys, palys ; by change of y to g, and by inversion, paigles ; then paigle. Conf. my note in N. & Q. 6th S. viii. 249. PAIL, PAILE, PAYLE, PEAL. Vessel in which milk or water is carried Gr. TreAAa, TreAA?;, milk-pail. PALAMPORE, PALEMPORE, PALEMPOUR, PALUMPOUR, PALINPORE. Indian covering for a couch or bed ; Indian cotton bed quilt or hanging ; embroidered shawl or robe worn as a sign of rank ; so called from Palampur, town in Kangra district, Punjab ; or Palanpur, name of a native state, and of its chief town, prov. Guzerat, Bombay. Conf. my note in N. & Q. 6th S. viii. 387 ; ix. 72. PALATE, PALET. Roof or upper part of mouth ; taste, relish O. fr.palat L. palatum, id. ; properly the fed thing; thing, or rather part of thing, affected or influenced by feed- ing or food Gr. iraw, to feed Skt. pd, to drink, swallow up. PALETOT. Loose overcoat Fr. paletot pizletoque (Sp. paletoque, Bret, paltok), peasant's garment, properly garment with a cap or hood L. palla, garment worn by Greek and Roman ladies ; and Fr. toque, cap. NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 163 PALL. Covering thrown over the dead O. Fr. poelle, which Nicot renders " un dai's ou ciel quarr6 a pente es quatre costez frang^es ou non, port6 a chascun des quatre coings sur un baston, dont on use es processions et entries de roys et princes en leur villes" L., pallium, a pall, curtain palla, id. PAMPAS. Name given to the extensive plains in the southern parts of S. America (Sp.) Quichua pampa, a flat. PAMPERO. Wind from the pampas of La Plata. See PAMPAS. PAMPHLET, PAMFLET, PAUNFLET, PAMFILET, PAMPFLET, PAMPHLETT, PARNFILET, PHAMPHLET, PLAUNFLET; in pi. PAMFLETES, PAMPLETES ; and in Low L., in accusative case, PANFLETOS and PAM- PLETOS. Small book sold unbound, and only stitched- The earliest-known (1344) spelling of the word is the pi. panfletos, which was no doubt formed from a word panflet* corrupted from a Low L. compound pagina-fileta, a stitched leaf (of paper). In N. & Q. (2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 7th S. passini) are found twelve more suggestions two from surnames, and the rest from the Greek, Latin, French, Spanish, and Dutch languages. The least objectionable is that from Sp.papelefa, dim. of papel, paper, from which, with an infixed m, pamphlet might have been formed. PANT, PANTEN. To palpitate imitative word, like Fr. panteler. PANTHER, PANTERE, PANTER. The quadruped (L.) Gr. 7rav0i7p, variety of the leopard inhabiting Africa and India ; about = wholly ferocious rrav all, Oyp beast. PANTRY, PANTRIE, PANTERY. Room or closet for 164 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. provisions O. Fr. paneterie Low L. panetaria, place where bread was made pane/a, maker of bread L. pant's, bread Gr. Travos, bread, word of the Messapii (also an epithet of Jupiter, yschyl. Eum. 997) Traw, to feed. See PALATE. PAP. Food for infants ~L.papa, word uttered by infants in calling for food. Var., ap. Non., 81, 4, says, " cum cibum ac potionem buas ac papas vocant." PAPAYOTIN. Vegetable ferment from the papaw tree (Carica papaya) used in diphtheria, but with no very definite results. Conf. Lancet, n July, 1885, P- 86, col. 2. PARSLEY, PERSELY, PERSIL, PERESIL. Herb so called, of genus Selinum O. Fr. persil Low L. petrosillum L. petroselinum (whence O. Fr. persiri) Gr. TrcrpocreAti/ov, not parsley that grows on, but amongst, rocks Trerpos rock, creXivov (whence celery) kind of parsley. The Greek word is found in Dioscorides and Galen. It relates to the Mace- donian parsley, whereas our parsley or smallage is thought to be the eAetoseXtvov and o-eXivov lopratov, i.e. marsh parsley and garden parsley of the ancients, according to Alston. By the bye, Sanskrit name is aja-moda, goat's delight. PAUNCH, PAUNCHE. The belly O. Fr. panche pance L. pantice, pantex, id., so called because it receives all foods Gr. Travra, all things. PEAL, PEEL. Name for a salmon under 2$. weight Sco. peelie thin, meagre ? PEAR, PEARE, PERE. The fruit so called A.S. pera L. pirum, pyrum irvp, fire, in supposed allusion to its pyramidal form. PECTEN. Scallop, genus of Ostreidae L. pecten, kind of shellfish ; so called because its shell resembles a broad comb pecten, a comb. It is probable that the large comb NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 165 worn by English ladies at back of the head resembles that formerly worn by Roman ladies. PEDE. Where's Pede ? " M. W. W. v. 5. The fo. of 1623 has Bedt\ that of 1632 and the quartos, Pead\ Malone and Theobald, Pede ; Collier, JBede. According to some, the name was chosen to indicate the smallness of the fairy, or that it might be the same as " Kate's a pretty peat ! " in T. of S., where it is^by some rendered pet, fondling, darling, in both of which cases it would be from Fr. petit. But conf. L. pcetus, rendered by Littleton pink-eyed, that has little leering eyes. " Si poeta est, Veneris similis" (Ov.) In Plautus and Horace pcetus signifies one that has a cast in his eye, and Cicero has the dim. pcetulus. PEDIGREE, PEDEGREE, PEDIGREW, PETE- GREWE, PEDEGRU, PETYGRU, PEDICRU. Genealogy, lineage, account of descent. The earliest spelling of the term is pe de gres, which might translate foot of descent, degree, generation, or ladder O. Fr. pi, foot; gre, gres L. gradus. Other suggestions are, from par de gres, gres or degres des peres, par de grez, pes graduum, petendo gradum, and pied de grue, foot of the crane, " because the crane rests a long time on one leg" (Thierry}. See also Roquefort, Dufresne, Godefroy (Die. Anc. Lang. Fran$), Encyc. Metrop., P. Cyc., Prompt. Parv., Thierry (Norm. Conq.), Littre', and N. & Q. 2nd S. iv. ; 3rd S. viii. ; 6th S. i. PEED. Blind of one eye (N.C. obs.) ; perhaps from pee, to look with one eye, still used in Cumberland. " He pees, he looks with one eye " (Ray}. Or it may be allied to peep. PELICAN. Aquatic bird remarkable for the great length and breadth of its bill L. pelicanus, pelecanus Gr. 166 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. so called because the bill, which is broad and flat, has a faint resemblance to a hatchet 7reAe*eus, axe, which some com- pare with Skt. para$u, ax, hatchet ; but the Gr. word is more probably from Heb. >*}, palag, to cleave, divide, whence TreAayoe, the sea. PELVEN. A stone smaller than the menhir, but, like it, placed upright. Qu. from W. pil shaft, Corn, ven stone, or vean little. PENGUIN, PINGUIN. Aquatic bird. Some derive the name from Bret, pen gwenn, white head, but the bird has usually a black head. The word, which in Fr. is pingouin and pinguin, in It. pinguino^ in G. ptngutn, also fettgans, fat goose, is from L. pinguis, fat (like densus from Sasvs) Gr. ira^vs, id. By the bye, the name pingui has been applied to quite a dif- ferent bird found in an islet under the Equator. PERDITION. Destruction, ruin, death (Fr.) L. perditione perditio perditus perdo, lit. to destroy, ruin Gr. 7rep0prjv, diaphragm, also the mind, understanding. PIBROCK. Wild irregular sort of music peculiar to Scottish Highlanders Gael, piobaireachd, pipe music piobair, NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 167 Highland bagpiper ; lit. piper of any sort piob pipe, fhear man. PICAROON. Ship so called, properly pirate corsair Sp. picaron, great rogue, villain ; augment, of picaro, rogue, villain. PIE. A pasty ; corrupted from D. or O.G. pastei Low L. pastata O.F. paste, r. of paste. PIGEON ENGLISH. Jargon used in Chinese ports between English and American merchants and native traders ; whose vocabulary is principally corrupted from English, but contains some Chinese, Portuguese, and Malay words, and whose grammar is Chinese. Chinese corruption of business English. PILLORY, PILORY. Frame erected on a pillar, made with holes and moveable boards, through which the heads and hands of criminals are put (Latham) Fr.pilori (O. Fr. pellori, pillorit, D. piloriin} Low ~L>. pilloricum (also pilloriacum, piloria, pilorium, spilorium, spillorium) L. pila, which Manage translates a great mass of wood (properly a pillar); thus, pila, pilula, pilura, pilurica, piluricia, piluricum, pilori. Low L. has also collistrigium (collum and strigens} for a pillory. PINE. The tree A.S. pin, or Fr. pin L. pinus, id. ; corrupted from a word TTTWT; TTITVS, id. PINE -APPLE, PYN- APPLE, PYN-APPUL, PYNE- APPYLLE. The fruit so called from resemblance to the cones of the pine-tree. PINK. To work in eyelet-holes, to pierce with small holes ; indirectly from L puncius pungo, to prick. PINK, P1NKE. Ship with very narrow stern, used chiefly in the Mediterranean O.D. pincke (Fr. pinque] late L. pincce, pinks or small ships pictce (Pictse Britannis sunt 168 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. scaphse exploratione : Vegetius], small swift vessels used by the Britons, and rowed with many oars ; properly picatce, scil. naves, i.e. ships covered with pitch. PINNACE. Small boat navigated with oars and sails Ptg.pmdca (Sp. pindza, Fr. pinace, pinasse), so called because originally made of pine pinho, pine-wood L. pinus. PIP, PIPPE, PYPPE. Disease of fowls O. Fr. pepie L. pituita, id. ; lit. phlegm, rheum Gr. irrvw, to spit out or up. PIQUET. A game of cards. There are several sugges- tions as to the origin of the term. Some say it was named from its inventor ; according to others, twelve cards are given to each player, who, up to a certain number, chooses the cards he wishes to keep, and throws out the others ; and from such choice the game was originally called piquo, which in Keltic signifies to choose (Conf. W. pigo, to pick, choose). J. B. Bullet (Recherches Historiques sur les Cartes a Jouer, 1757, P- J 43) savs > "si l e premier qui joue compte 30 points sans que son adversaire en compte aucun ; alors il compte 60 au lieu de 30 : cela s'appelle Pic. Le Repic c'est quand on compte 30 sur table, sans jouer les cartes : alors on compte 90. Pic en Celtique signifie double : Repic signifie ce qui se redouble, ce qu'on double une seconde fois. C'est la pr6cis6ment le sens de ces expressions." Chatto (Playing Cards) says, in the time of Pere Daniel the coat cards were divided into suit kings, queens, and valets : the suit com- prised cceur, carreau, trifle, pique; and piques and carreaux signify magazines of arms, which ought always to be well stored. He adds, cceurs (hearts) signified the courage of the commanders and the soldiers ; and that trifle or clover plant, which abounds in the meadows of France, denotes that a NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 169 general ought always to encamp his army in places where he may obtain forage for his cavalry. PITH, PITHE. Soft and spongy part of stems and trunks of trees A.S. pitha D. peddick {peddick int hout = medulla in ligno) Prov. G. peddick G. peek (Mod. D. pit, pek, pitch) L. pice pix, pitch Gr. irura-a, Trirra, id. PISCES. Twelfth sign or constellation of the Zodiac ; lit. fourth class of animals of order Vertebrata of Cuvier ; fishes L. pisces piscis, from word AX#US 1 X^ VS > l ^- ^ vs straight, Ion. & Ep. form of Att. >0us, id. PLANE, PLANE-TREE. From Fr. plane platane L. platanus Gr. TrXaravos ; so called on account of its broad leaves TrXarus, wide, broad r. of broad. PLAUSIBLE. Specious; lit. deserving of applause L. plausibilis, id. ; lit. clapping of hands in token of approba- tion plaudo, lit. to clap, strike, beat plodo, word formed by sound. PLOD. To toil, drudge ; especially, to study heavily, with steady diligence ; lit. to labour earnestly in a business D. ploeghen, to plod, lit. to plough (ploegen en zweeten, to toil and moil ; ploeger, plougher, toiler, plodder). PLUMB, PLOMBE, PLOMB, PLOM. Leaden weight let down at end of line Fr. plomb, lead L. plumbum, metath. of Gr. //,o\v/3Sov /xoAv/3Sos, lead. POETASTER. Petty or paltry poet, pitiful writer of verses " Let no poetaster command or intreat Another, extempore verses to make." B. JONSON. Sp. poeidsiro, bad poet poeta, poet; astro (fern, dstrd) denoting inferiority with contempt = Fr. dtre. Conf. Sp. file/astro, hijdstro, madrdsta, medicdsiro, padrdsto. 170 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. POLACCA, POLAQUE, POLACRE. Mediterranean vessel of three masts terminating with long point It.' poldcca, poldcra (Fr. polaque) Gr. TTO\V much, axpa point. POLECAT, POLCAT, POWLKAT, PULCATTE, PULCAT. Animal akin to the marten ; so called because it makes havoc in the poultry yard O.E. poll, polk, to strip, plunder, and cat ; or, as others say, from Fr. poule hen, and cat. POLEDAVY, POLDAVY, POLLAVIE, POWLDAVIES. Sort of coarse cloth or canvas, sort of sail-cloth, first made at Poldavid (formerly Pouldavy), town of Bre"tagne on Douarnenez Water. Conf. my Verba Nominalia. POLKA. Polish dance Pol. polka, lit. Polish woman polkak, Polish man. Conf. Polonaise, the dance. Fr. for a Polish woman. PONGO. Popular name for Simia satyrus, often applied to other anthropoid apes. An African word. Conf. Zulu im-pongo, he-goat, also a person with a protruding fore- head. PONTIFEX. In Rome, a priest who had the super- intendence of religion and ceremonies. The pontifices are said to have had their name from having built the Pons Sublicius, to enable them to perform sacrifices on both banks of the Tiber. But the bridge in question was built by Ancus Martius, second king after Numa. Whether they were called pontifices before or after the building of the bridge in question, it is probable they got their name from the fact that their first duty was to make and repair a bridge or bridges pons bridge, facere to make. Moreover, Greek and Latin writers some- times translate the word pontiff by ye, to break, sever. RAM. Ancient military engine used for battering down walls ; translation of aries, its original name. The aries as an instrument for battering walls is said to have been invented by Artemanes of Calzomene, Greek architect who flourished 441 B.C. The machine is thus described by Josephus : " It is a vast beam, like the mast of a ship, strengthened at one end with a head of iron, something resembling that of a ram, whence it took its name." Conf. Encyc. Brit. " Aries." RAMONEUR. Chimney sweep (Fr.) ramoner, to sweep a chimney ramon, a broom, word still in use in Picardy and some other parts of France obs. L. ramo, ramonis, augment, of ramus, branch, twig, because brooms were usually made of branches or twigs. RANCHERO. In Mexico, a herdsman; peasant em- N 178 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. ployed on a rancho Sp. ranchero; lit. the steward of a mess (rancheria, a hut or cottage where several labourers meet to mess together, horde ; rancheadero, place containing huts ; ranchedr, to build huts, to form a mess) rdncho, small hamlet or large farming establishment for rearing cattle and horses (thus distinguished from a hacienda, a cultivated farm or plantation) ; lit. a mess, a set of persons who eat and drink together. RANUNCULUS. Genus of plants including the crow- foots, kingcups, buttercups (L.) ; lit. a little frog, dim. of rana, id.; lit. one that utters a sound ranco, racco, to cry out. The reason for the name is doubtful. According to some, it alludes to the native habitat of the plant in bogs and watery places such as frogs frequent. Three species (lanuginosus, muricatus, and aquatilis) do so. but the (3a.Tpa.xiov (dim. of ySaTpa^os, a frog) of Dioscorides, the Ranunculus Asiaticus or garden ranunculus of Linnaeus, does not grow in wet places, but inhabits corn-fields. Ambrosianus hints at a resemblance between the root of the plant and the foot of a frog, which, however, is by no means apparent. Rees thinks it possible that in all these plants the leaves may have sug- gested the idea of a frog's foot, which is confirmed by the English name crowfoot. Latham says, " ftarpa-^iov, name of the plant, that, either from growing in the water or from being spawned over by frogs, suggested a connexion with that animal." RARE. Scarce, uncommon, not frequent (Fr.) L. raro rarus, few, rare ; lit. not thick or dense, thin Gr. thin, slender, lean, slight a priv., and paios, i.q. paos light, easy. RASHER. Thin slice of bacon for broiling, &c., a word NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 179 manufactured from L. rasura laridi, a shaving of bacon rasum, a shaving rado, to shave. The proper Latin word for rasher of bacon is lardi ofella, i.e. a collop of bacon. READY, REDY, REDI. Prompt, not delayed, prepared A.S. rcede Dan. rede, ready, prepared (O. Sw. rad, quick, prompt ; O.D. gereedt, ready) Gr. paStos, prompt, ready, ac- tive ; lit. easy. REAL, RE ALL. Actual, true, genuine O. Fr. real Low L. realis, belonging to a thing L. res, lit. anything thought rear, to think. Conf. words for thing in Hebrew, Greek, and German. REAL. Small Spanish coin, value about i\d. Sp. real, anc. redle redle, royal, i.e. royal money; perhaps so called from being stamped with the royal arms L. regalis, royal ; lit. pertaining to a king rex. RECTUM. Third and last portion of the large intestine ; properly intestinum rectum, straight intestine, because straight in its normal state, i.e. when foodless. RED, REED, REEDE, REOD. The colour A.S. redd Goth, rauds Gr epvOpos ; or through obs. L. rudher Skt. rudhira, red. REED. Aquatic grass of genus Arundo A.S. hre6d (G. ried, rief] L. retce, trees standing on the bank or in the bed of a stream. REEL, REILL. Lively Scottish dance Sco. reel, ret/, re ill Gael, ruidhil, id. ; lit. a hurl, wheel. REGATTA. Kind of boat-race (It.) Venet. regdta, contrac. of remigdta It. remigdre, to row L. remigare remus, an oar Gr. C/SCT/AOS c^erro* Attic of cpeo-crw, to row, move, impel ; L. ago, to act, move : thus e/ier/xos, remus, remus-ago, remigo, remigare, remigdta, regdta, regatta. 180 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. REINDEER, RAINDEER. Species of deer, native of northern parts of continents of Europe and Asia G. rennthier, lit. the animal (thier) called renn Sw. ren, Tungusic oron, reindeer. Conf. Mandshu oroun, a propos of which Amyot says, " C'est le nom d'une espece de cerf dont la femelle ainsi que le male ont des comes . . . On apprivoise facilement cet animal, et on s'en sert comme d'une bete de charge ; on le bride : on dit aussi iren" Conf. also Mongol and Buriat oron, Kamstchatkan cerucehm, Mordwin olen (Russ. olen, deer). Hence G. elen-thier, elend-thier, Fr. elan ; and, by prefixing T and infixing 8, Gr. r-apav-Sos, L. iarandus. REINS, REINES, REYNES. Kidneys, lower part of back O. Fr. reins L. renes r. of PHRENES, q.v. RELEAT, RELEET. An Essex word for a spot where three roads meet three-to-leaf (found eleet, elite'} A.S. gelcste, a going out, exitus latan, to let go, leave. In Essex they also use four-to-leat and fi-to-leat, to indicate the point of junction of four or five roads. Conf. my Gloss, of Essex Dialect. RELIGION. System of doctrine and worship regarded by its adherents as of Divine authority ; properly the prin- ciple which acts as a restraint on the conduct of men (Fr.) L. religione religio religo, to bind (" qu6d mentem religet," says Servius) re back, ligo to bind. But conf. Lucretius, i. 931; iv. 7; Cic. Invent, n, and N. D. u, 28; Gell. 4, 9, i; Lactantius, 4, 28 ; Augustine, Retract, i, 13 ; and Forcellini. REN (L.) Kidney Gr. pr)v r. of PHRENES. q.v, RESEDA. Genus of plants, one species, R. odorata, being the plant mignonette L. reseda (but not same plant), the assuager reseda, to assuage, heal re again, sedo to allay, calm ; lit. to cause to sit. Pliny says the plant is known in NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 181 the neighbourhood of Rimini, and is used for dispersing tumours and all kinds of inflammations ; and that the person who applies the medicine says "Reseda" allay all those diseases, and spitting at same time. RETALIATE. Lit. to return like for like Low L. retaliatum L. reta.Ho, id. re back, talio like to like (sine talione, with impunity: Martial, xii. 64, 10) talis, such, of such nature or kind, such like, from a word tamalis tarn, so, in such a degree. RIBBON, RIBBAND, RIBAND, RIBAN. Fillet of silks narrow web of silk worn for ornament Low L, rubanus rubus, red, because anciently the most beautiful ribbon; were of a red colour. Conf. Menage and Becherelle (Diet. National). RIBIBE, BYBYBE. Rode forth, to sompne a widewe, an old ribibe, Feining a cause, for he wold have a bribe. CH. C. T. 6, 895. An old bawd ; orig. small musical instrument, kind of fiddle, a rebec It. ribebba Ar. i_*\.*, , rabdb, or Pers. rubdb, sort of fiddle. RIDDLING. Kentish name for a small shrimp ; dim. of riddle, a sieve, because very small shrimps will pass through a sieve. RIFE, RIF, RIVE, RYFE, RYVE. Prevalent, abundant O. Sw. rif, rife (Low G. rive, abundant), a word of Keltic origin. Conf. O.W. rhwf, too much, redundancy, excess ; rhy, rkwy, over much ; Mod. W. rhef, thick ; rhy, too much > Corn, re, Armor, re, ra, Gael. Ir. and Manx ro, Ir. ra, ru. RILL. Streamlet L. rivulus, little brook, dim of rivust RIVER, q.v. 182 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. RIOT, RIOTE. Wild and loose festivity, sedition, up- roar O. Fr. riot, riote, bruit, tapage, combat, duel ; corrupt, from L. rixa, quarrel, brawl, dispute, contest, strife, con- tention : thus, rixa, riscum, riscotum, ricofum, riotum, riota, riote, riot. RIVER. Large stream L. rivus Gr. pcco, pixo, to flow Skt. ru, id. ROBIN, ROBBIN, ROBYN. The redbreast, named from the colour of its breast L. robus red. Conf. O. Fr. rubeline, Anjou rubiette, Maine rubienne, Low L. rubecula, a robin. ROCK, ROCKE, ROKKE. Large stone or crag O. Fr. roke (It. rocca), by change of p to k from rupe rapes, cliff or steep rock. Conf. L. equus with Gr. wra-os ; L. aqua with Skt. ap, apa. ROCKET. Cankerworm L. eruca ruga, wrinkle, furrow, because it creeps into cabbages, gnaws them, and makes furrows. ROCKET, ROKET. Plant having a peculiar smell, used in Italy as an aphrodisiac It. ruchetta, dim. of ruca L. eruca (Brassica eruca), quasi urica uro, to burn. ROD, RODDE. Long twig Gr. pa/?Sos, staff, rod, wand paTriSos pa.m, to free, because it frees from certain maladies. RUFF, RUFFE. A fish, which in its habits resembles the perch ; corrupted from L. orphus, a sea-fish Gr. opos, Att. op$, to boil, seethe, be hot; because the sea is, as it were, &ov vSwp, aqua aestuans. SEDULOUS. Assiduous and diligent in application or pursuit L. sedulus, busy, diligent, zealous, careful ; lit. sitting fast, persisting (in some course of action) sedeo-, to sit Skt. sad, to sit ; lit. to sink down, lie down. SEENY. " Seeny-seed, whereof mustard is made " (Littleton) L. sinapi, mustard Gr. o-ivo.? O-U/O/ACH, to injure, " quod laedit oculos," says Littleton. SEGH. Species of wild deer. West (Hist. Furness) says that Furness forests abounded with bucks, does, wild boars, and seghs ; that Scofe was noted for a breed of large deer or seghs, and that in an old Glossary segh is interpreted "savage deer." See Whitaker*s Hist. Manchester, p. 277, 288. The word is from Ir. or Gael, segh, buffalo, moose- deer. SENESCHAL, SENESCHALL. One who had the care of feasts, domestic ceremonies, in great houses, &c. O. Fr. seneschal, rendered in French "premier officier ou surinten- datit de la maison du roi ; chef-d'armes, premier ministre, commandant de troupes, chef de la noblesse d'une province ; celui qui 6ta.it charge" de recouvrement des deniers d'une seigneurie ; which Prof. Skeat properly derives from Goth. sins old, skalks servant ; but the word probably came through Low L. senescallus, senescalcus, siniscalcus, prefect of a royal house, one next to the king; orig. chief of the servants, springing from them. Conf. G. ellerknecht, oberknecht. SENIOR. Older (L.) senex, old man, old ; contrac. of seminex, half dead, half slain semi, half Gr. ijfu ; and L. nex, death Gr. ye/cos. NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 189 SENNET, SENET, SENETTE, SYNET, SYNNET, CYNET. Short flourish of trumpets (see Shak. Hen. VIII. ii. 4, and J. C. i. 2) O. Fr. senne, which Roquefort renders " annonce d'assemblee fait au son de la cloche qu'on appelloit seign " L. stgnum, sign. SENSE, SENCE. Faculty or power by which objects are perceived sensus, feeling, perception sentio, to feel, whether by senses or not ; according to Nunnes. ap. Voss., in Etym., by transposition from aia-OavofjMi, to perceive ; if so, from aurOa), to breathe out aua, to breathe. SEPULCHRE, SEPULCRE. Tomb, grave, burial-vault O. Fr. sepulcre L. sepulcrum for sepultum (like fulcrum for fultum, ambulacrum for ambulaturn] sepultus sepelio, to bury sepio, to enclose, hedge in. Others derive sepelio from se aside, pello to drive, thrust ; or from Gr. uu, to venerate ; others from s&vus and verus. Isid. 10 Orig. 250, says, " severus quasi SCEVUS verus ; tenet enim sine pietate justitiam;" Ainsworth, severus, qu. secus, i.e. juxta verus, vel qu6d satis verus" (Secus, nigh to ; juxta, even, alike, all one; satis, enough, sufficiently.) SHALLOT, SHALOT, SHALOTE. Kind of small onion O.F. eschalote, corrup. from escalogne Sp. escaluna L. ascalonia (ccepa), a shallot Ascalonius, of Ascalon, where the plant grows wild, as it does in many parts of Syria. Pliny, Strabo, and Athenaeus tell us that the Romans imported 190 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. allium ascalonium from Ascalon. Calmet adds, " the ancients praise the shalot, which takes its name from Ascalon." SHAWL. Article of dress, in Europe worn by females only Hind. (Pers.) JLs shdl, shawl or mantle made of very fine wool of a species of goat common in Thibet : also coarse mantle of wool and goats' hair, worn by dervishes, and a small carpet. The Persian word may have had its name from Shawl (Quetta), town and valley of Beluchistan, centre of traffic between Shikapoor, Kandahar, and Kelat. The town is not at present celebrated for its shawls, but carpets and blankets are made there in considerable quantities. SHEEP, SCHEEP. The animal A.S. sceap, seep (O.H.G. schaaf) L. ove, with sch prefixed ovis (Lith. avis) Gr. o^ts, ots Skt. am', is, sheep, ewe. SHIELD. Buckler A.S. scyld, sceld (D. schild, Dan. skidld, Icel. skjoldr, Goth, skildus) scylde, p. of scyldan, to protect, defend. Conf. O.G. schilt, skill skyla, to cover, protect ; O. Sw. skiol, a shield skyla, to cover; Icel. hlif, shield, protection hlifa, to protect ; Pol. sczyt, Boh. ssijt, shield O.G. schuten, to protect, cover. SHILLING. The coin A.S. sailing, scylling, scil (Dan. & Sw. shilling, Goth, skilligs, G. schilling}, scylan, to divide. Turner (Hist, of Ang. Saxons, vol. n.p. 132), who also suggests this derivation, concludes that the word means so much silver cut off, as in China, and that it was originally a certain quantity of uncoined metal. Conf. rouble, ruble Russ. rubite, to cut. SHIP, SHIPPE, SCHIP, SCHIPPE. Large sailing vessel A.S. scip, scyp r. of SKIFF, q.v. SHRINE, SCHRIN, SCHRYNE. Place or object sacred from its history or associations ; an altar A.S. serin, a box NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 191 L. serinium, lit. a wooden case for keeping papers, books, escritoire ; according to Vossius, from ypovy, cavern, grot, with prefixed s ; according to others, formed from L. scribo, to write ; but more probably, as Perottus suggests, from a word secernium, a place in which precious and secret things are put away secerno, to put apart. SHOULDER-SHOTTEN, Tam of S. iii. n. Sprained, dislocated in the shoulder shotten, shot out of its socket, p.p. of shoot. Conf. shotlen herring, a herring that has ejected its spawn. SHOULDER, SHULDER, SHULDRE. Jointcon- necting arm with body A.S. sculder, sculdor O. Sw. skuldra skyla (now skiule), to cover; or from skioldur, a shield, because resembling that piece of armour. SIGN. Mark, proof O. Fr. signe L. signum, any mark or sign Gr. i^yov ixvos, a mar k, with a prefixed sibilant. SIKE. A provincial word for a furrow A.S. sic, sich L. sulcus Gr. O\KOS, with a prefixed sibilant. Conf. stke, in the Lancashire dialect, a gutter, small stream ; Low L. sica, sicha, a ditch ; sichdum, sikettus, a little current of water which is dry in summer= wady. SILENCE. Stillness, quiet (Fr.) L. sUentiasilens, still sileo, to speak nothing; by change of g to / from Gr. o-iyaw, to be silent. SILVER, SILUER, SELVER, SYLVER. The metal A.S. seolfor, silfor O.S. silufar, silubar, silobar (O.G. silabar, silbar, silapa, O. Sw. silfwer, Goth, silubr), probably named from its white colour, like gull (gold) from its yellow colour Gr. oAv). The word NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^E. 195 is also found in Chald. tzaphun, later spun, in Syr. tsapant, in Malay sdbun, and in Arabic and Hindustani sdbun; but it is probably of Keltic origin, for Pliny and Martial tell us that a like substance made " ex sebo et cinere " (from tallow and ashes) was the invention of the Gauls. Conf. Martialis, lib. viii. Epigr. 33. SOBER, SOBRE. Temperate, abstemious Fr. sobre L. sobrio sobrium, sober so for se sine, and ebrius. See EBRIETY. SOCK, SOCKE. Kind of short stocking A.S. sou (Dan. sokke, D. sok, O. Sw. socka, Fr. soque) L. soccus, kind of low and light shoe worn by comic actors Gr. o-uKxas, O-UKXIS, o-u/c^os, kind of shoe (Conf. Phanias, An. ii. 52 ; Anth. p. 6, 294, and Suidas) perhaps from Heb. TDD, sakkad, to cover. SOLACE, SOLAS. Comfort in grief O.F. solas (solais, soulas, solaz, soulaz) L. solatium, a soothing solatus solor, to comfort, console solus, alone, because one is eased by solitude. SOLAN, SOLAND, SULAND, SALEN. The gannet (Sula bassana). Martin (Voy. to Kilda, p. 27) says some derive the Scottish soland horn Ir. sou' Jen, denoting its remark- able power of vision, in spying its prey from a great distance ; and that Sibbald derives the name from Sw. solande, lingering, loitering, part, of soela, procrastinare. The word in Gael, is found written sulaire, in Ir. suilaire, in G. solandgans and Schottische gans, in Norweg. sula and hafsula, in Icel. sula and hafsula (sea sula). Baxter (Antiq. Brit. 248) says Vectis (I. of Wight) was formerly called Solenta; and that the Solent, the sea which flows between the isle and the mainland of England, had its name from Brit, mor salen = mare salsum. Hence, says he, the Scoto-Saxon term salen- 196 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. geese. The bird is also called Sula bassana (in G. Bassaner and Bassanergans, in D. JBassanergans, in Yr.fou de Bassan and oie de Bassan), from the remarkable trap rock called the Bass, at mouth of the Firth of Forth, which the bird fre- quents : it is also called Booby and Sala Booby, from its stupidity when attacked by man, or the frigate bird. SOLE. Alone, only O. Fr. sole, fern, of sol L. solus, alone, only O.L. sollus, whole, entire, unbroken Gr. oAos, whole, entire, with prefixed s. SOLO. Variation of game of whist, which is played by not more nor less than four persons, in which game there are many declarations, one of which can be played by one person against the other three ; hence it is called solo L. solo solus, alone. SOMNOLENCE, SOMPNOLENCE. Sleepiness Fr. somnolence L. somnolentia, sleepiness somnulentus, sleepy somnus, sleep, from a word CTUTTVOS, for Gr. VTTVOS. Conf. Skt. svap, to sleep ; svapnas, L. somnus. SONTICK. Hurtful L. sontico sonticus, id. sonte (sons'), guilty, criminal, faulty Gr. a-ivrrjs, noxious, destructive o-tvofuu, to injure, harass, lay waste, destroy. SORT. A kind, species, lot Fr. sor/e, id. sort, lot, fate, luck L. sorte sors, lot, chance, fortune (\\kefors -fero~) sero, to connect, join, bind together Gr. pco, to fasten together, join, connect, with prefixed sibilant. SOT (i). A blockhead, dolt, numskull. (2) Habitual drunkard, toper, tippler O. Fr. sot (D. zot, Sp. zote, Low L. soltus, stolidus, bardus) L. stullus, foolish; like fr.sotie, sottise, from stullitia.* Others derive sot from L. azotus, dissolute man Gr. acrom>s, abandoned, prodigal, wasteful, having no hope of safety, in desperate case. NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 197 SOUL. Immaterial spirit of man A.S. sdwl Sw. sjdl Goth, saiwala; formed from G. aw, to live, by inserting /. SOUR, SOURE, SOWER, SOWRE. Sharp or pungent to the taste A.S. sur, corrup. from L. severus (in Hor. sharp, sour, demure ; lit. ROUGH, q.v.) SPA, SPAW. General name for a mineral spring, or for the locality in which such springs exist. All the Spas have been so called from Spa, near Liege, in Belgium. The place- name is found written Spaa, Spay, Vicus Spadanus, Fons Spadanus, and Spatha. Some derive the name from a word espa, which in the language of the country signified a fountain, perhaps etymologically connected with Lempriere's Arimaspi, a name derived from Scythic arima one, spu an eye ; and with spi, spa, which, according to Pezron, had the like meaning in Old Keltic. Conf. also the river-name Spey ; Gael, sput, spout of water, torrent, cascade ; dim. spu/an, fountain ; speid, mountain torrent ; Sco. spait, spate, speat, spyet, flood, inundation. It may here be noted that in some languages the same word is used for both fountain and eye, or relating thereto. Conf. Gr. 70/717, fountain, corner of the eye ; Heb. py, yayin, eye, fountain ; Pers. chashm, an eye ; chashmah, fountain, source, spring ; Chinese ian, eye, fountain. SPADASSIN. Bravo, hired swordsman (Fr.) It. spa- daccino spada, sword ; " Dicesi per isch6rno a chi porta la spada ; ed anche a chi facilmente mette mano alia spada." Tommaseo (Diz. Ling. It.) SPALPEEN. (See Tales from " Bentley," 1839, vol. i. p. 33) Ir. spailpin (Gael, spailpean, mean fellow, rascal, stroller), dim. of spailp (Gael, spailp, spailpe), a beau, pride, self-conceit. 198 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. SPAR AD RAP (ods.) Cerecloth (Fr.) O. Fr. cspardn (It. sparadrdppo, N.L. sparadrapa, sparadrapum], rendered ' 6tendre, frotter, enduire le melange agglutinatif sur une oande de toile " L. spargere, to spread upon ; and Fr. drap, band of cotton or other tissue. SPARLING. In Wales, name for the fish called smelt (Sco. sparlin, spirting) G. spierling dim. of spier, fig. little, nothing ; lit. piercer. SPAY. To castrate female animals; but applied by Shakspeare (M. for M. ii. i) to males L. spado, geld- ing, man or beast Gr. orraSwv oTracu, to draw out, pull away. SPEED, SPED. Quickness, celerityA. S. sped, speed, haste (Plat, spud, D. spoed) O.S. spad Gr. (nrovSrj, haste, speed, readiness (m-evSco, to hasten ; lit. to urge on. SPELT. Inferior kind of wheat ( A.S.) L. spelta (totidem speltas, so many grains of spelt. Remn. Fann. de Pond, et Mensur. 12 ; Hier in Ezech. i. 4, 9). SPLEUCHAN, SPLEUGHAN. Tobacco-pouch; also pocket or pouch generally Gael, spliuchan. SPLUTTER. To speak hastily and confusedly; an imitative word, like sputter. SPOOK. Normal and orthodox generic word for ghosts and things ghostly throughout great part of American con- tinent ; German corrup. of i/^x^ soul, spirit. Conf. Sat. Rev. ii Dec. 1886, p. 773. SPOON, SPOONE, SPON, SPONE. Vessel for sipping liquids A.S. span (D. & Dan. spaan, Icel. spdan, sponn, Sw. span], a chip, splinter of wood ; "and," says Richardson, "a spoon may have been a broad splint used for ladling, now improved by scooping or hollowing out the end." The A.S. NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 199 word is from G. span, chip, splint, splinter ; from old v. spanen, to divide. SPRAT, SPROT, SPROTT, SPROTTE. The small fish D. sprot (G. die sprotte) spruit, sprout, sprig, shoot. SPUTA. Saliva ; also an expectoration, or that which is coughed up from the chest and spat out (L.) spuo, to spit, spit out, spew r. of spew, spue. STALE - MATE. In chess, position of the king when he is unable to move without placing himself in check. Mr. Thos. Wright says, "in chess-playing stale has its primary meaning (i.e. a state fixed), a stale or staled mate being that in which the king cannot move but into check." But the term stale-mate seems to have been formed on the supposition that mate in check-mate meant mate, a companion, whereas it signifies defeated or dead, and is of Persian origin. Conf. A.S. stal, place ; O. Fr. estal, id. ; A.S. stealian, to have a place. STAMMER, STAMMEREN, STAMER. To stutter; formed, like all the Gotho-Teutonic words of same meaning, from the sound made. STEMSON. Incurved piece of timber fixed within the apron of a ship to reinforce the scarf ( Wright}. So named from receiving scarf of the stem, and son. The French render it marsouin tfavant. See KELSON. STEVEDORE. One whose occupation is to stow goods, &c., in a ship's hold Venet. Ancon. stivador (It. stivatore, Sp. estivador, Low L. stivator} stivar, to load a ship O. It. stiva, stowage, and the place where it is stowed Mod. Gr. sri/Ja, whence sri/3aa), to pack. Conf. Sp. estiiva, stowage ; estivdr, to stow. STIVER. A Dutch coin = about Eng. penny D. stuiver 200 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. (Sw. styfwer, stuyuer), formerly stuyver stiff, stiff, firm. Others derive stuyver from Low L. stupherus (in Erasmus stuferus, from Gr. o-ru to prick, Xo/?os pod. STOMACH, STOMAK, STOMAKE. Digesting part of alimentary canal O. Fr. estomach L. sfomachus ; lit. orifice, aperture augment, of Gr. oro/io, mouth, whence it receives its food. STOT. Stallion, bullock Icel. stutr, or Sw. stut, bull Gr. OTTKO, in venerem erigo. Conf. Ducange under " Stuot," Wachter under " Stut," and Chaucer's slot. STUDY, STUDIE. Setting the mind or thoughts upon a subject O. Fr. estudie L. studium, zeal, study ; by change of p to / from Gr. /co7s, id., one who gains livelihood by litigious charges or false accusations; according to some, originally an informer against those who stole figs from the sacred grove at Athens ; more probably informer against those who exported figs from Attica at a 202 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. season of great scarcity, contrary to an obsolete law ; lit. fig- shewer crwog fig, ^avriys shewer <UTOV O-U/A to love ; s hog, iXia or . The name was first given to this malady by Fracastoro, a celebrated physi- cian of Verona, who, in 1530, published a Latin poem entitled " Syphilis, sive morbus Gallicus." In an episode of the third book the author says that the malady was invented by the gods to punish an impious shepherd named Syphilus ; a name no doubt derived from crw and 0t\ew. SYRINGE. Instrument through which any liquor is squirted Fr. syringue L. syringe syrinx, reed, pipe Gr. crvpi|, lit. any pipe or tube utensilts, useful utor, to use, make use of. TOOTH, TOTH, One of the small bones of the jaw used in eating A.S. toth O.S. land L. dens, -tis Skt. danta, dat, id. da, to cut. TOP -GALLANT. Mast, rigging, and sail next above topmast ; corrup. of top-garland. See Cotton MSS. TOPSY-TURVY. Upside down top side the other way. TOTEM. Family mark on coat -of -arms of the N. American Indians ; corrup. of Algonkin dodaim ; properly name or symbol of a " clan" animal, signifying lit. that which particularly belongs to him. TOY, TO IE. Plaything, bauble, gewgaw O.D. tooi, ornament tooijen, to adorn, attire, TRAMWAY. Wooden or iron linear way for cars ; originally tram-road and dram-road ; so called because made of logs or beams Prov. Eng. tram (Sco. tram, O. Sw. tram, /rum, Low G. traam, O.H.G. tram, dram), a beam, bar L. trabem trabes, a beam, a timber. TREACLE, TRIACLE. The spume that rises from sugar in process of refining ; so called from resembling the 214 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. old compound which was believed to be capable of curing or preventing effects of poison, especially that of the serpent Fr. triacle L. theriaca Gr. 0r)pia.Ka ap[jMKa, antidotes against bite of venomous animals tfiypicucos, of wild orvenomous beasts OrjpLov, poisonous animal, reptile, serpent ; lit. wild beast, dim. ofOrjp, beast. Trench (English Past and Present, loth ed. 292) says "Treacle, or triacle as Chaucer wrote it, was origi- nally a Greek word, and wrapped up in itself the once popular belief (an anticipation, by the way, of homoeopathy) that a confection of the viper's flesh was the most potent antidote against the viper's bite. Waller serves himself of this old legend, familiar enough in his time, for Milton speaks of the ' sovran treacle of sound doctrine,' while ' Venice treacle,' or 'viper-wine,' was a common name for a supposed antidote against all poisons ; and he would say that regicides them- selves began to be loyal, vipers not now yielding hurt any more, but rather a healing medicine for the old hurts which they themselves had inflicted. 'Treacle,' it may be observed, designating first this antidote, came next to designate any medicinal confection or sweet syrup, and lastly that particu- lar syrup, viz. the sweet syrup of molasses, to which alone we restrict it now." See also Acts xxviii. 4; Augustine (Epp. Pelag. iii. 7). TRET. Allowance to purchasers for waste or refuse of a commodity L. tritus, worn ; or attritus, rubbed or worn away ; or formed from Sp. tdra (word of Ar. origin), whence tare in tare and tret. TRINKET, TRINQUET. Top-gallant, highest sail of a ship Fr. trinquelte, triangular sail, sort of lateen- sail Sp. trinquete, fore-sail Iriquete, dim. formed from L. ires, three. TRIPE. Edible part of stomach of a ruminant animal NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 2 15 Fr. tripe (O.D. trupen, Sp. iripa, It. trippa, id. ; also an intestine) Gr. Tpim-aw, to bore, pierce through ; because the omasum, i.e. the third stomach, like the rest of the intestine, seems as if it were perforated. TROLLEY, TROLLY. Costermonger's name for a sort of narrow cart ; also a railway truck that can be tilted over W. trol, small cart ; lit. cylinder, roller prefix ty; and rhol, cylinder, roll. TROUT. Delicate spotted fish inhabiting brooks and rapid streams A.S. truht (Fr. truite, It. irota, Sp. trucha)- Low L. trutta, trocta, tructa Gr. rpwKTijs, a sea fish (a/x,ta) with sharp teeth ; lit. devourer rpwyoo, to eat, devour. The trout is a very voracious fish. TUMBLER. A glass without a foot O. Sw. tumlare (D. tumling], so called because, after drinking, the ancient Northern nations used to roll their glasses round the table to show that they were empty (gar-aus, all out) tumla, to roll. Conf. Ihre (Lex.) under tumlare ; and see also Toller's Bosworth's Diet. TUMP. Little hillock ; in co. Hereford, a mound upon which buildings have once stood W. twmp, mound Gr. TU//,/:?OS, mound of earth. Hence from tump, v. to tump, in gardening, to form a mass of earth or a hillock round a plant, as to tump teasel ; tumped, surrounded with a hillock of earth ; tumping, raising a mass of earth round a plant. Conf. N. & Q. 3rd S. vi. 498, 540. TURMERIC. Root of an E. Indian plant, Curcuma longa, which affords a yellow powder, and is used both as a medicine and as a dye-stuff; properly zurmeric Pers. zur yellow (lit. gold); marich, pepper. TYRANT, TIRANT, TYRANNT. Cruel, despotic, and 216 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^E. severe master O. Fr. tyrant L. tyranno tyrannus Dor. rupawos, one who had subverted liberties of a people and ruled by arbitrary power ; originally a sovereign or prince ; by change of K to T from xoipawos, leader, chief, prince, ruler, master /cvpios, lord, head /cupos, that which is princi- pal or chief /capa, the head. u. UDAL. Term applied to the right in land which pre- vailed in Northern Europe before introduction of the feudal system. Udal tenure still prevails in Orkney and Shetland. Cleasby renders Icel. othal, nature, inborn quality, property; but the Icelandic word may be of Swedish origin. Conf. O. Sw. od, ancient, or aud, oed, possession ; all, all ; also odaljord, that which has been long in possession ; odalsmadr, a man who possesses an ancient property ; odalboren, one who has by birth possession of an ancient property ; odalby, pri- mitive and ancient village, i.e. one built by first inhabitants of a country, as distinguished from those erected in later times. Hence from odal, by inversion,. Low L. allodium and allodialis, and our allodial. See also Jamieson's Scot. Diet. ULLAGE. Unfilled part of a cask O. Fr. eullage, action of filling that which is not full emitter, to fill to the eye or bung-hole (ceuil] of a cask. Conf. Fr. ceil, trou, ouverture, bouton, bondon, grosse cheville de bois qui ferme la bonde, le trou d'une futaille, &c. UMBRAGE. Offence, suspicion of injury O. Fr. taci- turn, suspicious, sombre (pmbrage, obscure, hidden) umbbre, shadow, appearance L. umbra (found humbra), shadow NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 217 Gr. o//,/3pos, shower of rain, because showers obscure the sun's light, says Isidore. USHER, USSHER, USCHERE. One whose business is to introduce strangers, or walk before a person of high rank ; lit. a door-keeper O. Fr. ussier, uissier uts, door, gate, opening, entree L. ostium, gate, door os, opening; " quia ostium est os domus," says Vossius. UTERUS. The womb (L.), which Riddle thinks from uter, a leather bottle ; Vossius, from obs. Gr. oSepos, venter, uterus. But uterus comes rather, by dropping the cr, from Gr. vo-repoa, the womb, fem. of wrepos, later in respect to place, coming after Skt. ut-lara ; as, a, am, later, following, later, posterior ; lit. upper, higher, superior. UVULA. Soft round body suspended from the palate over the glottis (L.), so called from its resemblance to a grape ; dim. of uva, grape ; lit. the moist thing uveo, to grow or become moist. Hence, from uva, the uvea, or nervous coat of the eye, so called from resemblance in colour to an unripe grape. V. VACCINIUM. Genus of plants, N.O. Vaccinacesj ; corrupted from va/av#os. See HYACINTH. VAGINA. Canal leading from external orifice to womb (L.) ; lit. a sheath, scabbard ; according to Vossius, for vacina vacare, to be empty or void, and so " i.q. vacuum illud in quo gladius reconditur." Isid. (18 Orig. 9, 2) says, from bagina, so called because the sword is carried (bajuletur] in it ; and therefore, says Forcellini, vagina is quasi bagina, from bajulo. VALERIAN. A plant whose root is used in epilepsy, 218 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. nervous complaints, and convulsive and hysterical diseases Med. L. valeriana, so named from one Valerius, who first described it. VALET. Waiting-servant. See VASSAL. VAMOS, VAMOSE. To depart or go off quickly Sp. vdmos, let us go. Conf. N. & Q. 6th S. x. 428. VAMPIRE, VAMPUR. "Pretended demon which delights in sucking human blood, and in animating bodies of dead persons, which, when dug up, are found florid and full of blood " Fr. vampire (D. vampyr) G. vampyr, vampir Servian wampir, wampira (Pol. wampir, by corruption upior ; Slovak upior, upir) Hung, vampir, corrupted from vad-ember, a wild or ferocious man, rendered in French " le sauvage." This is perhaps confirmed by Kiss Mihaly, who renders ogre (a word also of Magyar origin) vadember. VARLET. Scoundrel ; lit. page or knight's follower ; servant or attendant. See VASSAL. VASSAL. Slave, low fellow ; earlier, subject, dependant ; lit. one who holds of a superior lord. The words vassal, varlel, valet are etymologically the same, viz. from Bret, gwaz, vassal (celui qui releve d'un seigneur, a cause d'un fief ; sujet qui est sous la domination d'un roi, d'un souverain ; serviteur, domestique, says Legonidec) gwdz, goaz, man, in opposition to woman (W. gwas, youth, lad, page, servant), whence dim. GAR9ON, q.v. This is confirmed by Bullet (Recherches Historiques sue les Cartes a Jouer, 1757, p. 61), who says that up to the gth Century the Keltic word was applied to both domestics and gens de guerre. He adds, " Depuis ce temps il ne s'est pris que dans ce dernier sens jusqu'au regne de Francois I. On ne soudoyoit point autrefois ceux qui composoient les arme'es, ainsi qu'on le fait aujourd'hui. Le NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 219 prince ou le seigneur donnoit une terre ou fief a charge du service militaire. Celui qui, a raison de cette terre ou fief, e"toit tenu de venir a 1'armee, s'appeloit vas ou vassal. Comme il n'y avoit alors que ses vassaux qui portassent les armes, on les nomma aussi ?nilites, guerriers. Lorsqu'on eut institu6 la chevalerie, on qualifia chevaliers ceux des vassaux qui 1'avoient rec.ue ; et on appela vasselets, vaslets, valets, varlets, vallez, les fils des vassaux des plus grands seigneurs, des souverains meme, qui n'avoient pas encore 6t6 arme"s chevaliers. On donnait aussi a ces valets le nom d'6cuyers, scutarii ; parce qu'ils portoient 1'ecu ou bouclier du chevalier auquel ils s'attachoient, pour faire leurs premieres armes. Dans les dernieres armees du regne de Charles V., varlet ou valet se prenoit pour e"cuyer et pour domestique. II conserva ces deux sens (Chronique de Petit Jehan de Saintre) sous Charles VI., sous Charles VII., et tant que durerent les compagnies d'ordonnance formees par ce prince. Ce terme, a present, ne signifie plus qu'un serviteur" VAUDEVILLE. In the French theatre, a short piece whose dialogue is intermingled with light or comic songs ; originally satirical ballads upon individuals or events, rhymed on a common or well-known air ; so called from being first sung in the Vau-de-Vire, a valley of Normandy. Le malm vaudeville, a-nant de 1'epigramme, Brille de cet esprit dont s'afflige un bon coeur : Sur 1'aile des couplets vole le trait moqueur. CHAUSSARD. Les Vaux-de-Vlre, Qui sentent le bon temps, nous font encore rire. LA FRESNAYE-VAUOJUELIN. Bescherelle says, " Olivier Basselin, ouvrier foulon, de Vire, en Basse -Normandie, composait, vers 1450, des chansons 220 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. satiriques qui coururent bientot le Val ou Vau-de-Vire, et qui, en s'e'tendant plus loin, en conserverent le nom pendant un certain temps, au bout duquel 1'e'tymologie fut oubli6e, et le nom chang6 en celui de vaudeville" Conf. Basselin (Olivier), Vaux-de-Vire, ed. by Louis du Bois, Caen, &c. 1821, 8vo. ; M6nage (Diet. Etym.) ; Dibdin's Tour in France, &c. Lond. 1829, vol. i. p. 289, et sq. ; Bescherelle (Diet. National, Paris, 1857) ; and my Verba Nominalia (Lond. 1866). VEDETTE. A sentinel on horseback Fr. vedette, properly small lodge in a fortress for a soldier to see who passes by ; sentry-box (echauguette] It. vedetta vedere, to see L. videre. Conf. Littre', Bescherelle, Landais, Manage. VERBENA. Extensive genus of herbaceous plants L. verbena, a bough or branch of laurel, olive, or myrtle used for crowning altars ; for herbena herba bena, i.q. herba bona, good herb. Conf. verbenaca, vervain, called also hierabotane Gr. iepa POTO.VY], sacred plant. VEER. To allow a ship more cable, to turn or change Fr. virer, to veer, tack about, turn, wind about (Provence virar, Sp. birdr), to turn up and down ; by not uncommon change of g to v, from L. gyrare, to turn in a circle Gr. yvpeuw, ib. yvpos, a circle. VENOM, VENIM, VENYM, VENYME. Poison O. Fr. venim L. venenum, according to Cicero so called because it goes quickly through the veins, " quod cit6 per venas eat ;" but venenum is rather a corruption of belenum, a herb with which the Gauls anointed their arrows Gr. ficXepvov /3eAos, a dart. Hence also It. veleno, O. Fr. velin. Conf. also ro^iKov, poison for smearing arrows ro|ov, a bow ; and see Isid. Orig. xii. 4 ; and Forcellini. VERMUTH. The stimulating liquor Fr. vermouth, NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 221 Vermont O.G. wermut (Francic uuermot} r. of WORMWOOD, q.v. VICE, VYCE. Course of action opposed to virtue Fr. vice L. vitium (in many MS. Codd. bitium), violation, hurt ; with prefixed digamma Gr. amov, hurt, harm, injury, fault; (noxa, culpa), lit. charge, accusation. VICTIM. Person sacrificed to the selfishness of another; lit. a sacrifice L. victima, id., lit. an animal (e.g. a calf) offered in sacrifice on occasion of a great victory vinco, to conquer, because sacrificed for conquered enemies. " Victima pro victis, hostia pro superandis" (Cathol. Diet.) VILE. Base, mean, despicable Fr. vile, f. of vil L. iritis, bill's, cheap, common, abundant r. of FOUL, q.v. VINCULUM. A link. (L.) vincio, to bind, tie up vieo, to bind with twigs Skt. ve, to weave, interweave, braid, plait. VIOL. Ancient stringed instrument of same form as the violin, but larger, and of which there were three sorts- 1 the treble, tenor, and base ; from viola, generic name of all the family of bow instruments r. of FIDDLE, q.v. Hence, from viola, dim. violino ; whence our violin. Hence also It. aug- ment, violone, great viola, whence dim. violoncello, sometimes abbreviated to cello. VOIDEE-CUP. And the King paused, but did not speak : Then he called for the -voidee-cup. ROSSETTI, King's Tragedy. Perhaps = doch-an-dorus or stirrup-cup. Conf. O. Fr. vuid- pot, vodiere, tavern term ; voide, vuide, vuyde, empty. L'ung secouru, 1'autre ayd6, L'ung est chasse, 1'autre -vuyde. Rog. de Collereye, p, 59. 222 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. See also La Curne de Sainte Pelaye, Diet. Hist. 1'Ancien Lang. Frang. Par. 1875 82, 4- VOIDEN. To empty (Chauc.) void, to empty void, empty O. Fr. voide. VOLAPUK. A universal phonetic language invented by Johann Martin Schleyer; from Volapuk zw/a, gen. ofvol, world, universe; piik, language, whence piikat, discourse, conference; pukatel, orator; pukav, linguistic philology; ptikofik, eloquent, &c. &c. See Sjhleyer, Diet. Volapiik-Frangais &c., Par. 1887. VOLSELLA, VULSELLA. Pair of tweezers or nippers to pluck out hair by the roots L. volsella, for vulsella, dim. of vulsus, plucked vellor, to pluck. VOMER. Small thin bone in median line forming par- tition between nostrils ; so named from its close resemblance to a ploughshare L. vomer, a ploughshare, so called because it casts up the earth vomo, to throw up, vomit. Conf. Varro, v- 44. 3 1 - VOUSSOIR. Wedgelike stone or other matter forming one of the pieces of an arch Fr. voussoir, perhaps another form of the architectural term voussure, which, according to Littr6, supposes a verb vousser, vosser (found in VVallon), which, according to Scheler, represents a fictive form vol- iiare volutus (rolled or rolling) ; whence voute, arched ceiling. VOYOL, VOYAL. Large rope used in raising an anchor when common method by messenger is insufficient ; the block through which the messenger passes.. Jal (Gloss. Naut.), under " Voyal," refers to messenger and viol, which he renders tournevire (voyol] ; and he thinks it may be from A.S. wiold, part, of wealdan, to govern, conduct. VULGAR. Plebeian, suiting to the common people NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 223 L. vulgaris, of or belonging to the great mass or multitude L. vulgus r. of FOLK, q.v. w. WAR, WARRE, WERRE. Struggle between states by force of arms A.S. werre (O.D. werre, O. Fr. werre, Mod. Fr. guerre) O.G. ger, war, also missile, weapon (gar, weapon ; wer, id.) weren, to defend. WART, WERT, WERTE, WRETE. Small horny ex- crescence of the skin O.D. warte, wratte (A.S. wearle, Dan. vorte, Sw. varta, Icel. varta, G. warze, Fr. verrue~] L. verruca, var. derived from verrunco, to change a thing for the better ; and verro, to pull away, make clear. " Verruca a verrunco, quia opera danda est, ut averruncetur," Vosstus ; " a verrunco, qu6d quae supereminent averruncari debeant," Perottus; " a verrendo, qudd quae supereminent verri solent," Pliny. WASP, WASPE, WAPSE. Insect of genus Vespa, akin to the hornet A.S. wcepse, wesp(D. wesp, G. wespe] L.vespa, corrup. from Gr. 7;. WATER. One of the so-called four elements D. water (A.S.ztwA?r, G. wasser), indirectly from Gr. vSw/a Skt. uda, -a?n, water ud, to flow or issue out. WAYWODE, WAIWODE, VAIVODE. Name at first given to military commanders in various Slavonic countries, and afterwards to governors of towns and provinces Slav. voyna war, vodit to lead. Conf. Pol. wojna war, wodz leader. WAYZ-GOOSE, WAY-GOOSE. A printer's annual dinner or feast. It was formerly kept about Bartholomew- tide, and till the employer had given this feast the journey- men did not work by candlelight. The term (now usually shortened to Goose) is said to mean stubble-goose, from an 224 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^E. old word wayz, a bundle of straw, i.q. waze, a wreath of straw O. Sw. wase (later vase, Icel. vast), a sheaf, allied to wass, which Ihre renders " arundo. quasi herba aquatilis." See also N. & Q. 2nd S. iv. 91, 192 ; 4th S. x. 120 ; also Timperley's Diet, of Printers, 1839, quoting Moxon's Mechanick Exercises, 1683. WELKIN, WELKEN, WELKNE, WOLKNE. Visible regions of the air A.S. woken, wolcn (G. wolke, D. walk], air, sky, cloud, transp. of Gr. a/xi^X??, mist, fog, cloudlike darkness. WELL, WELLE. Spring, fount A.S wella, a spring (D. wet, Dan. vceld, O. Sw. kcella, O.G. quell] weallian (Icel. vella), to well up ; an imitative word. WEST. The cardinal point of the compass A.S. west G. id. O.G. wese, wise, going down, setting. Conf. L. occiduus, western ; lit. going down, setting. WHALE, WHAL, QUAL. Large aquatic mammal of order Cetacea A.S. hwal, hwcel (Icel. hvalr, Dan. hval, hval- fisch, D. walvisch, Platt. wal, walfisk, G. wal, wallfisch}, O. Sw. hval apocope of L. balcena Gr. aXXcuva, a whale. Some Greek dictionaries give also a\rj for a whale, and aX\.r] is found in MSS. of Lycophro, 394. WHERRY, WHERRIE, WHYRRY. Small boat used on rivers for carrying passengers ; the oare of our early writers L. oria, orya, horia, small skiff. WHIST. The game. Nares, under " Whist," an excla- mation enjoining silence, says, that " the name of whist is derived from this is known, I presume, to all who play or do not play. Dr. Johnson says, " whist, a game at cards, requiring close attention and silence, vulgarly pronounced whisk" The same is said to differ but little from the old games NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 225 called Ruff and Honours, and Ruff and Trump. The names of these were afterwards changed to Whisk and Swabbers. Swift says, " the clergymen used to play at whisk and swab- bers." Chatto (Orig. of Playing Cards, p. 161) says, " It was then [in the very beginning of the present century] played with what are called swabbers, which were possibly so termed because they who had certain cards in their hands were entitled to take up a share of the stake, independent of the general event of the game. The fortunate, therefore, clearing the board of the extraordinary stake, might be compared by seamen to the swabbers (or clearers of the deck), in which sense the term is still used." Again (p. 164), after referring to the common derivation of the term, Chatto says, " The name, however, appears more likely to have been a corrup- tion of the older name of Whisk. As the game of Whisk and Swabbers was nearly the same as the still older game of Ruff and Honours, it would seem that the two former terms were merely the ludicrous synonyms of the latter, introduced perhaps about the time that Ruffs were going out of fashion, and when the Honours represented by the coat cards were at a discount. The fact that a game so interesting in itself should be so slighted, as it was by the higher orders, from the reign of Charles II. to that of George II., would seem to intimate that they were well aware of the ridicule intended to be conveyed by its popular name of Whisk and Swabbers. Looking at the conjunction of these terms, and considering their primary meaning, there can scarcely be a doubt that the former was the original of Whist, the name under which the game subsequently obtained an introduction to fashionable society, the Swabbers having been deposed, and the Honours restored. In playing the game, swabbers seems to have signi- Q 226 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. fied either the honours or the points gained through holding them. At the older game of Ruff and Honours ruff signified the trump. It would appear that, when the ruff was called a whisk, in ridicule of the ruff proper, the honours, or points gained through them, were, in concatenation accordingly, designated swabbers." Bailey renders whisk a brush made of osier twigs ; also the sound of a switch ; and a sort of neck- dress formerly worn by women. I may add that Roquefort gives- wiske as a game of cards. WHISTLE. Pipe to whistle with A.S. hwistle, whistle L. FISTULA, q.v. WHITEBAIT. Small delicate fish, Clupea alba, fry of the herring ; so named from its silvery white colour. Whether bait is here used in the sense of " food " or of " enticement to bite," is doubtful. Fishermen of the Southampton Water say whitebait may be caught there, but that the fish is of no use except as bait for whiting. Conf. N. & Q. 4th S. i. 222. WHITING. The well-known small fish of the cod tribe, Gadus merlangus ; so named from the pearly whiteness of its finny muscles. Cuvier describes it under Harengale blanquette, remarking that the fish is of most brilliant silver-white colour, and that its fins are pure white. The termination ing is here = to our ish in whitish. In Flanders the whiting is called mange-tout. WHIT SUNDAY. Festival of Whitsuntide; properly Whitsun Day, first part of the day-name having been cor- rupted (like G. Pfingst, Pfingsten, Whitsuntide ; Dan. Pintse, Corn. Pencast, id.) from Gr. TrevrrjKoa-rf], " the fiftieth," i.e. the fiftieth day after Easter. This is confirmed by Dr. John Mason Neale (Essays on Liturgiology, Lond. 1867, 2d ed. p. 524), who says, " Whit Sunday. It is curious that this NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 227 name should be so mistaken. It is neither White Sunday (for, in truth, the colour is red] nor Huit Sunday, as the eighth after Easter; but simply, by various corruptions of the German Pfingsten, the Danish Pintse, the various patois, Pingsten, Whingsten, &c., derived from Pentecost. The cor- ruption is easy and plain enough : if more proof were wanted, note i. That, as it is not Easter Sunday, but Easter Day, so it is not Whit Sunday, but Whitsun Day. 2. Although the barbarous corruptions of Whit Monday and Whit Tuesday are now in vogue (they do not occur in the Prayer Book), yet no one ventures to speak of Whit week, or Whit-tide, or Whit holidays, but Whitsun week (just as Pfingsten woche, in German), &c. If the derivations were from White, was it utterly impossible that the unmeaning syllable should here have got in ? Who ever heard of Easter-sun week or Easter- sun holidays ?" Further, in W. T. iv. 3, we read of Whitsun pastorals; and in K. H. V. n. sc. 4, of Whitsun morris- dance; and we have also Whitsun ale and Whitsun farthings. Here note, that the Icelandic Hvit-Drottings-dagr, White Lord's day (Dominica in Albij, is a day altogether different from Whitsun Day; having reference to the first Sunday after Easter, which is called Low Sunday and Quasimodo Sunday. Conf. Dr. F. G. Lee's Glossary of Ecclesiastical Terms and Cleasby's Icelandic Diet. WHITSUNTIDE. Feast of Pentecost ; properly tide or time of Whitsun. See WHIT SUNDAY and TIDE. WHOLE, HOLE. All, total, containing all A.S. Ml Gr. oXos, whole, entire. See SOLE. WHORE, HORE. Harlot A.S. hure, \&.hyre reward, or hyran to hire. Conf. O.G. hur, Sw. & Dan. hora, O.D. hoer, harlot, from verbs signifying hire, or to hire oneself for 228 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. pay ; L. meretrix, from mereo, to get, gain ; prostibulum, from pros/o, to sell oneself ; Gr. iropvt] from 7repvo/x.cu, to sell ; Goth. kalkjo, perhaps from ^aX/cos, brass. Plautus (Mil. Glorios. n. sc. 3) describes a harlot as " quae ipsa sese vendebat." WICKET, WIKET. At cricket, three stakes fixed upright in the ground, and supporting a cross-piece or bale ; orig. small gate O. Fr. wiket guichet, little gate obs. huisset (uisset), dim. of huis for uis r. of USHER, q.v. WILLOW, WILOW, WILWE. Tree and shrub of genus Salix A.S. welig, prefixed by w Arcadian eAi*, so called from its remarkable flexibility ; lit. winding, twisting C\IKOS eXi, a twist etXew, to turn round. WINE. Fermented juice of grape A.S. win L. vinum ^ol. Gr. FOLVOV otvov (oivos) Heb. f", yqyin, id. obs. p% javan, bubbling up, being in a ferment. WITH. The preposition A.S. with (Sw. & Icel. vid, Dan. ved, D. met, O.H.G. miti, G. mif] mith, mid Goth. mith, mid Gr. //.era, with, in connection with, along with ; lit. in the midst of (connected with, /wo-os) Skt. madya, middle, in the middle. WITHERNAM. A Dutch scholiast asked the Admirable Crichton, "Are goods taken in withernam irreplevisable ?" In law, withernam is a second or reciprocal distress because of goods or cattle that have been eloigned; counter-distress; a reprisal A.S. wither-name, which Dr. Bosworth renders a taking away; but it rather means a contrary taking wither, against, contrary to, opposite ; name, taking or seizing (goods) nam, took niman, to take. For fuller definition of wither- nam, see the Law Diets, of Tomlins, Wharton, and Bouvier. WIZARD, WIZZARD, WISARD, WYSARD, WYSAR. Conjurer, magician, enchanter; corrupted from O.D. waer- NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 229 seggah (Mod. D. waarzegger), id.waer, true ; seggen, to tell, tell fortunes, soothsay, foretell. WOOL, WOOLLEN. See FLANNEL. WORK. Toil, labour, employment A.S. wore, weorc, were (I eel. & Sw. verk, Dan. vcerk, Plat, werk, wark, O.H.G. werch, Franc, wercho] Alem. uuerk JEol. Fcpyov epyov Ion. epyw, to do work. WORLD. The universe, whole system of created things ; to the earth, a globe, the human inhabitants, the countries regions of it (Richardson) A.S. world, woruld, weorutd (Icel. verold ; O. Fries, wrald, wrauld, warld, rauld, ruald ; O. Sw. werld; Dan. verdon, a syncopated word with suffixed article ; D. wereld; Alem. uuerilt, uuerolt, uueruli,uorolt; Franc, uueroli, uuorolt, O.H.G. weralt, werolt, werelt, worald, werlt. Kilian de- rives werelt from weren (wdhren), to last, endure ; but Adelung considers such an idea too abstract. The primitive meaning of the Francic forms was saculum, ovum, as appears by Otfrid, lib. i. cap. iv. 79 ; v. 79 ; and the secondary meaning mundus, as appears , by lib. n. cap. i. ab init. The Heb. nVu>, olam, which signifies lit. hidden time, long eternity, perpetuity, is also used figuratively for " world," whilst the Gaelic saoghal means var. world, life, existence, lifetime, an age, generation (from L. seculum}. Wachter, after referring to Otfrid, renders the Francic word the age of man, the longest age of man, from wer man, old (alt} old ; Miiller and Zancke render the O.H.G. forms zeitalter du menschen (i.e. the generation of man) and zeitalter, seculum, age (i.e. of the world. Junius also says that A.S. weoruld was first used to denote seculum, and subsequently mundus ; and that " the application was made from the unceasing motion and cir- cumvolution of ages;" and he derives it from "w and Bartlett, Diet, of Americanisms. 232 NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. YAWL, YAUL. Decked boat carrying two masts (Latham); small ship's boat usually rowed by four or six oars (Webster) Dan. jolle (G. id., Sw. julle, Mod. Icel.jula, Gael, geola, O. Fr. iole, Mod. Fr. yole, It. iold] L. gaulus, "a round merchant vessel" Gr. yavXos, id., a word of Phoenician or Syriac origin. Conf. Herod, iii. 136, sq. ; Paula ex Fest. p. 96 (Miiller) ; Gell. x. 25, 5. Hence, from yawl, jolly-boat, a sailor's corruption. YEAR, YEER, YER. Period of 365 days A.S. gear, ger (D.j'arr, Dan. aar, Sw.Jr, G.jahr) Goth.jer era, which Ihre shows was formerly used in Gallia Narbonensis for annus ; perhaps from L. ara, an era or epoch from which time was reckoned ; lit. a given number according to which a calculation is to be made ; earlier, counters ; pi. of as, brass ; or the Goth, word may come direct from Gr. wpos, time generally, and so specifically a year. Conf. Plut. 2, 677 D. ; Diod. i, 26; Coraes Heliod. 2, 314. YEOMAN, YEMAN, ZEMAN, ZOMAN. Man of small freehold estate A.S. gemcene, common, general Goth. gamains L..commum's, common, public (conf. O.H.G.gametne, common ; Francic gemein). Frederick Wm. IV. of Prussia, in April, 1847, granted a constitution to his people, the Diet to consist of three orders i. Nobles ; 2. Burghers or citizens ; 3. Gemeinde, commons. Conf. Spelman and Verstegan. YEW, YEWYH, YOWE, EW, EWE, EUGH, IUW. The evergreen tree A.S. iw. Wachter gives eiben-baum, the yew-tree, and thinks it was so called because used for making bows ; and he renders eibe a bow. Henisch (Thes. Ling, et Sapient. German, p. 819) has also eibe, armbrust, arcubalista, scorpio manualis ; but I know of no other authority for such a word, and, looking to the character of the tree, the word NUCES ETYMOLOGIC^. 233 eiben has most probably been formed from O.H.G. iwa^ the yew, from ewe (whence ewrg), everlasting Goth, aiw id. du aiwa, in perpetuum, John viii. 35) L. (zvum r. of AGE, q.v. Ivy may be etymologically the same word as yew, inasmuch as one of the oldest G. forms of the word is iwa, and in Plat Deutsche it is ewig. See also the various forms of ivy and yew in Gotho-Teutonic, Keltic, and languages of Latin origin. z. ZEPHYR. Soft gentle breeze Fr. zephyr L. zephyrus Gr. e