And hear a voice which seems to say:
‘Pilgrim! in Heaven there’s rest for thee!’
May, 1832.
DISGUISED DERIVATIVE WORDS IN ENGLISH.
BY A NEW CONTRIBUTOR.
Derivative words in English, as in other languages, are usually formed on regular principles. Some few of them, however, especially those derived from foreign languages, and coming into extensive use, are so corrupted or disguised, as greatly to obscure the derivation.
The following are examples:
- Church and kirk: (Anglo-Sax. circ and cyric, Germ. kirche, old Germ. chirihha, Gr. ϰυριαϰόν, as if the Lord’s house, derived from ϰύριος, the Lord, and this from ϰῦρος, power, authority;) a Christian temple.
- Clown: (Lat. colônus, from the root col, to cultivate;) a rustic. Compare Germ. Köln from Lat. Colonia Agrippina; also Lat. patrônus from pater.
- Dropsy: (Fr. hydropisie, Portug. and Span. hidropesia, Ital. idropisia, Lat. hydrops and hydropisis, Gr. ὑδρωψ, derived from ὑδωρ, water;) a corruption of hydropsy, an unnatural collection of water in the body.
- Parchment: (Fr. parchemin, Portug. pergaminho, Span. pergamino, Ital. pergamena; also Germ. and Dutch pergament; Lat. pergamena, scil. charta, Gr. Περγαμηνή, scil. Χαρτή, from Pergamus, a city of Asia Minor;) skin prepared for writing.
- Periwig and peruke: (Fr. perruque, Span. peluca, Ital. parruca; also Germ. perrucke, Dutch parruik, Swed. peruk, Dan. perryk, Tr. percabhaic, Gael. pior-bhuic; from Lat. pilus;) an artificial cap of hair.
- Priest: (Anglo-Sax. priost, preost, Germ. and Dutch priester, Iceland prestr, Dan. and Swed. præst; also old Fr. prestre, Fr. prêtre, Portug. presbytero, Span. presbitero, Ital. prete, Latin presbyter, Gr. πρεσβύτερος, comparative of πρέσβυς, old;) one who officiates in sacred offices.
- Rickets: (Fr. rachitis, Portug. rachitis, Span. raquitis, Lat. rachitis, Gr. ῥαχῖτις, from ῥάχις, the back or spine;) a disease of children.
- Sciatica: (Fr. sciatique, Portug. sciatica, ciatica, Span. ciatica, Ital. sciatica, Lat. ischias, gen. adis, Gr. ἰσχιάς, gen. άδος, from ἰσχίον, the hip;) the hip-gout.
- Such: (Anglo-Sax. swilc, Meso-Goth. swaleiks, old Germ. solîh, Germ. solcher; composed of swa or so, the ancient modal case of the demonstrative pronoun, and the ancient form of Eng. like;) a demonstrative adjective of quality, denoting of that kind or sort.
- Which: (Anglo-Sax. hulic, hwylc, hwilc, hwelc, Meso-Goth. hweleiks, or hwileiks, old Germ. huelih, Germ. welcher; composed of hwe or hwin, the ancient modal case of the interrogative pronoun, and the ancient form of Eng. like;) properly an interrogative adjective of quality, denoting of what kind or sort? but in use an interrogative partitive adjective.
- Wig: a mutilation of the word periwig; see periwig above.