Be and M. are common augments to the past tenses of Greek Verbs, beginning with those leders.* In Anglo Saxon and in English, Be is a very common prefix: so much so, and so familiarly recognized, that writers, antient and modern, adopt it at their pleasure.† B' sometimes, says Wachter, is placed absolutely for Be, as bleiben, for be-leiben; manere ; erbarmen, for er-be-armen, misereri: B' indeed very readily and fluently unites, as its cognates also do, and as C and G do likewise, with a succeeding liquid, / or r; thus be-lock, block; bcribe, bribe; pe-lank, plank; pe-rate, prate; fe-lank, flank; fe-rock, frock. Various other instances appear in their places in the Dictionary, and the number might undoubtedly be very largely increased. The Gr. II or , the Lat. P or F, are acknowledged prefixes in those languages; not before vowels only, but placed absolutely as Wachter expresses it, i. e. as having united in pronunciation with a succeeding liquid; and it may be proper to remark here, that they as well as the other consonants are not only recognized as prefixed, but also as inter-fixed. § V also in the more Northern tongues unites with the letters L and R, as Vlies, fleece; Vriend, friend. The Greek K and I are sometimes, says Lennep, prefixed; and when they are so, they receive from Sheide the name of Litera serviles. Lye and Wachter affirm, that Ge, is for the most part otiosa; the former adds, that it has sometimes the force of the Lat. Cum; and the latter, that it serves sometimes (aug-ere, to eke), to increase, to aug-ment, the signification; and this augmentation it appears to effect by denoting a prolongation or continuity of sensation, motion or action. In A. S. Ge, is a prefix even more frequent than Be; and it, as Ce also does, unites with equal fluency and ease with the same liquids L and R; thus Ce-latch or lutch, clutch; ce-rank, crank: Ge-leam, gleam; ge-rudge, grudge.** If we look into the Greek and Latin languages, we shall find prefixes, descended from * It may be proper to point distinctly to the fact that the preterperfect of verbs, both in Greek and Latin, Sanscrit and Teutonic languages, are constantly formed by reduplication of the consonant letter with which those verbs begin. See Prichard, p. 145. Dr. Jamieson's Hermes Scythicus, p. 209. + See Be in the Dictionary. See block, bribe, &c. in the Dictionary. § See Vossius, De Permutatione ; Lennep and Scheide. See also Vossius, De Permutatione. The reader, who wishes for more information upon this head (the change of letters) should consult the Prolegomena of Wachter, Sec. 3 and 4, and the Pro-oemium of Ihre. Secta altera. ¶ In old English Ge is softened into y. See Lye and Tvrwhit. Spenser is profuse of such antique usages. ** See Clutch, &c. in the Dictionary. the literal roots, B and its cognates, C and its cognate, appearing in a variety of instances, where Etymologists have been unable to render any satisfactory reason for them. Thus we are told by Vossius, that in some words H is changed into For Ph. Familia, ounλia, Firmus, 'epμos, Furca, 'vpx". Into P. Palus, 'ελoç, Pubes, 'nẞns. Into V. Vestia, 'eoria, Volvo, ed w. And Wallis has observed that V, the consonant, has in many cases, confessedly, taken its rise from the Eolic Digamma; thus, Vid-eo, ad-w; Vis, is; Vesp-er, EσT-Ep; Vin-um, Div-oc; Vent-er, EVTEρ-ov; Vestes, εσons. Vossius has also taught us that H is a substitute for the Gr. x or κ, or the Latin, C, when, in fact, the prefix is merely dropped or omitted, and the simple term remains, and is used by itself. Lat. Hir. Gr. xε-10.† Goth. Haur-n. Eng. Horn. Lat. C-orn-u. A. S. Hlion-an. Eng. to lean. Gr. k-λiv-elv. The Lat. Quis, is Kat is, Quod, kaι ori, qualis, kaι ille. ‡ That A is sometimes at the beginning of words a servile letter the word Aporos, Lat. Ros, says Scheide, produced among others by Lennep, is a sufficient proof: and in Vossius we find some examples of T prefixed: efficere queat, Scheide continues, intensionem significationis. Tad-eo, ab and-ew; Terra, ab εpa; turgeo, ab οργω vel urgeo. τε οιος, To these examples (as Scheide remarks) Lennep has merely added such as may be deduced from the oblique cases of o and os; but neither Lennep nor Scheide has endeavoured or attempted to resolve these examples in their component parts. Tolos, is plainly τηλικος, τε ηλικος ; τοτε, τε οτε ; and of the oblique cases τo is τε ο, τον is τε ον. ov. § Of the Latin preposition ad, enough has already been said; as a prefix it requires no explanation And see Dr. Prichard, p. 57. ↑ Hair, in hair-wa, and Hir, the hand or acting limb, are Er, with the aspirate; See Er, Heer, ante. And ke-ap, is ap-x"; differently applied. But the Lat. preposition De, the Gr. 8-ç demand a little consideration. The Gr. Sıç, and Se, which Lennep respectively renders by the Lat. Bis; and by vero, autem,-have by him the same origin assigned to them: viz. the Gr. Si-av, dividere, separare. Scheide adopts the opinion of Hoogeven, that dɛ (vero, autem) is from the V. de-av, to bind. Lennep contends that, a dividendo, separando, seligendo notionem ortam esse ligandi. It must be confessed that he does not display a very plausible traduction: And to Scheide it seems incredible that de-ev, di-, to divide, to separate,―can have had the same origin with SE-ELv, to bind, to join. Incredible as it may seem, our own language presents a very striking coincidence in the word Twin, which equally denotes to separate or divide one into two, and to bind or join two into one: by the one process, doubling the number: by the other doubling the quantity it is obvious enough that the one notion does not arise from the other, but that in the apparently opposite usage, the word has the same meaning. The real literal root was da in the obsolete da-ev, (whence the reduplicate di-do-val, equivalent to ad-av, addere*: of which sufficient mention has been already made :) Aat-uv, or dɩ-uv, is, dividere ; i. e. to encrease the number of units by dividing one integral whole into a number of separate parts; and thus, dis, the inseparable particle as it is called, when prefixed to words themselves signifying division, separation, or partition, intends the signification, affirms or augments the force of the meaning: encreases the division, as in dis-part, dis-sever; but when prefixed to words, that denote wholeness or entirety, it reverses or negatives the meaning: as in dis-unite, dis-compose : by dividing, separating the union or composition, encreasing the number of undivided parts, or of minuter units. The D coalesces in pronunciation readily with r following, and the A. S. Dreos-an, to fall, is manifestly composed of de, and reos-an, ru-ere, to fall: dreman, jubilare, of de, and hrem-an, clamare: and hence, To drum. To, the prefix in A. S. and old English, is commonly (says Tyrwhit,) augmentative. L, says Vossius, additur in medio; and both Lennep and Scheide contend, the latter in μοσχος, M (Vossius) additur in medio; and (Lennep) it is sometimes prefixed to Vowels,‡ as in μooxos, μοχλος, for οσχος, οσχλος. • See p. 13. ↑ See note *, p. 23. + See Dis in the Dictionary. § Scheide refers to some other words in the Analogia. There are a few Latin words, in which am appears as a prefix, am-b-ire, am-plecti, and it forms the first syllable of The Greek preposition aupt, and the A. S. Em-be. Of these it will be proper to speak somewhat at large. Am," says Scaliger, "tota Græca est, et apud nos non nisi in compositione. Theocritus autem seorsum posuit aμ μeya. Et quemadmodum Græci usitatum additamentum pi, addidere appi, sicut Binpi, sicut nos nostrum te, Ante, sicut is-te, tu-te.”† τρέχειν, φε, And Lennep :-The Gr. aupt is, without doubt, composed of aua, simul, simul atque, and pɛ, a termination, the nature of which appears from the pronoun ops. This ope is composed of se-pe, (spe, σpɛ,) and also appears in the Lat. Se-ip-se, si-bi. The peculiar meaning, Lennep adds, is to be sought in the word utrimque. In A. S. it is written Em-be, om-be, ym-be, consisting of the same literal roots, m,-and b, the cognate of p and f, (the Gr. p.) The Gr. aμqıTpEx-u, circum-currere, is in A. S. Ymb-ærn-an (arn-an, also written ren-an) to run round. And Dr. Jamieson has remarked that the A.S. Embe-gan corresponds not only in meaning but in form, to the Gr. aμpi-ßaiv-av, Lat. Amb-ire: and he is almost inclined to think that the Moes. G. bi, A. S. be, in em-be, point out the original form of φι in αμφι, whatever may have been the origin of the first syllable. I agree entirely with Dr. Jamieson, and hope to be able to give him some satisfaction with respect to the unknown origin of Am. I think it is no other than the Am, for which I have already endeavoured to account, subsisting in the Gr. -, I go, and in the A. S. Ham-ian, to home; and this latter-Ham,-with the addition of Be, (hæsm-be) whether prefixed or suffixed, has the same force as Ge-hæm, in Ge-hæm-ian, co-ire, to come or go together, to cause to come or go together, to bring within the same space or compass, to encompass, to surround, (amplecti). Each of the two literal roots signifies motion, and their combined force may well denote the circumferential motion of the arms until the hands meet. The Gr. N is admitted both by Lennep and Scheide, and perhaps by Ruhnkenius also, to have been used as a prefix.* prefix. But the Gr. preposition v, the Lat. in: our own, in, un, are this literal root 'N. En, very variously written, en, ein, in, or un,-means one; union, ad-union, co-union; and hence its augmenting or affirming force in composition: but whence the negative force of in, un, Ger. ein, un, A. S. On, un. Wachter tells us that un, prefixed to substantives, signifies-first, defect or deficiency. Second: Excess. 3. That it has the force of negation, (vim negandi). 4. That it signifes pravitatem naturæ. 5. Vitium agendo. 6. Sensum intendit,-it intends the signification. And 7, that prefixed to adjectives, it always has-negandi vim. Whence then this affirmative, negative. un. An attempt must be hazarded to answer the question.‡ ONE means emphatically, One; and no more. AL-ONE, is one being all: one, severed, dissevered, parted, dis-parted, from other one or more. To ONE is, thus; to be or cause to be al-one; to be sole, un-joined, un-united, to any other. We have then 1. ONE (variously written) collectivé unus: and hence, in composition, augmenting or affirming the force of the words to which it is prefixed.* 2. One (as variously written) separativé unus: and hence, in composition, denoting a privation or negation of the positive meaning of the word to which it is prefixed. In A. S. this prefix is written On, "tam intensiva, (says Lye) quam privativa: et ut nostra un." Neither was the A. S. un always used privatively, as, Un-les-an, On-les-an, to un-loose; which we ought to write en-loose. And in English authors we find such words as Un-merciless, un-remorseless, un-parched,t-in which un is clearly intended to augment the force of the word to which it is prefixed. And in K. John, un-trimmed, which has so much perplexed the Commentators, is from the A. S. On-trimman in which On is acknowledged to be used intensivé. : In A. S. a is a common affirmative prefix: it is also in that language, and in other Northern languages a negative prefix. In Greek it is likewise both privativum et intensivum, and its adverse usages in all admit of the same solutions. The Gr. av-a, Goth. An-a, and in-uh, are On: in, super. The Gr. av-u, Goth. in-uh, Teut. on, are sine. This opposition is also found in N. The Gr. Nat, vn, Lat. Næ-is-adverbium affirmandi, and hence its augmenting force in the few Greek words to be found in Lennep, Dr. Burgess is of opinion that when In diminishes it is "of the same origin as the old word sin, which afterwards was written sine; and that this is the same as avev, in which the final syllable seems to be adventitious, like the e in sine. Arev, he continues, appears to be nothing more than the negative av in compounds, such as avedvvos, &c. in which the is added to prevent the concurrence of two Vowels." See Essay on the Study of Antiquities, p. 67. Mr Harris has another hypothesis. "In (and sub) diminish and lessen. Injustus, iniquus, unjust, inequitable; that lies within justice and equity, that reaches not so far, that falls short of them." Hermes, b. 2 c. 3. n. f. See ante Dis, and infra Se. + See these words in the Dictionary, also unrip, unreave. |