Of course the Saxon forms the basis of our language in its essential parts, and is the source whence we derive the greater part of our ordinary and most emphatic words. Nevertheless, various other languages have been put under contribution, especially the French, Latin, and Greek. This will be evident from the following statement of derivations, which will show the unlearned reader how important it is to him that he should acquire some knowledge of those languages, if he desires to attain to a thorough proficiency in his business as an educated printer.
I. From the Greek are derived—
1. Words ending in gram, graph, and graphy; as, telegram, telegraph, geography, &c.; from the word γράφω, (grapho,) I write, and some other Greek word.
2. Those in gon; from γωνια, (gonia,) an angle; as, octagon.
3. All words in logue or logy; as, epilogue, astrology; from λόγος, (logos,) a discourse.
4. Ic, ick, ics are also Greek terminations, generally of adjectives.
5. Words in meter are all of Greek origin, coming from the verb μετρῶ, (metro,) I measure, in combination with some other word.
6. Most words into which the terminations agogue, asis, esis, or ysis enter are also of Greek origin; such as demagogue, emphasis, parenthesis, analysis, &c.
II. But the main source whence we have derived words, with the exception of the Saxon, is the Latin, as will appear from an inspection of the following list:—
1. Words ending in ance, ancy, or ant, and ence, ency, or ent, come from Latin words ending respectively in ans, antia, or ens, entia; as, abundance, from abundantia; infancy, from infantia; abundant, from abundans; absence, from absentia; excellency, from excellentia; and excellent, from excellens.