ETYMOLOGICAL CURIOSITIES.
(To the Editor of the Mirror.)
Probably the following observations upon singular words, may amuse some of your readers. I should, however, premise that as regards myself, the greater part are not original.
Without further preface, allow me in the first place to call your attention to a word, which, by adding a syllable, becomes shorter, viz. the word short—on the other hand we have words of one syllable, which, by taking away two letters, become words of two syllables, as plague, league, both of which, by such an elision, leave ague. By dropping the two first letters of the word monosyllable, we have no syllable remaining.
It has been remarked that heroine is one of the most peculiar words in our language, as it may be thus divided—the two first letters of it are male—the three first female—the four first a brave man, and the whole word a brave woman. Thus: he, her, hero, heroine. A beggar may address himself, and say, mend I can't!—leave out the apostrophe and he still remains a mendicant. Tartar, papa, murmur, etc. may be noticed as doubling the first syllable, and eye, level, and other words as having the same meaning whether read backwards or forwards. Some few by a reverse reading give a different sense as leper, revel, etc.
W.F.