[Dr. Ogilvie, in his Imperial Dictionary, has suggested the following derivation: "Qy. sapia, in the L. prosapia; or Heb. shabet, a clan, race, or family, proceeding from a common progenitor.">[
Essay towards Catholic Communion (Vol. v., p. 198.).
—An Essay to procure Catholic Communion on Catholic Principles, alluded to by J. Y., has just been republished by Darling, Gt. Queen Street. It is taken from Deacon's Complete Collection of Devotions, 1734, and the editors attribute its authorship to Dr. Brett, on the authority of Peter Hall's Fragmenta Liturgica, vol. i. p. 42.
If J. Y. has not seen the reprint, perhaps this note may assist him in his inquiry.
R. J. S.
[The above is not the same work as the one referred to in J. Y.'s Query, which makes a 12mo. volume of 292 pages (edit. 1781); whereas the reprint published by Darling is a tract of 16 pages. There is also a slight difference in the title-pages of each.]
Bigot.
—What is the derivation of bigot?
C. M. I.
[Richardson suggests the following:—"The French at this day apply the word bigot to one superstitiously religious; not certainly from the oath be-got, as Menage thinks, but rather from the A.-S. bigan, colere; and hence also begine, a religious woman. (Wachter in v. Bein-Gott.)"