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,†-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. Goth. An-a, and in-uh, are On: in, super. av-a, The Gr. av-ev, Goth. in-uh, Teut. on, are sine. This opposition is also found in N'. The Gr. Naι, vn, Lat. Na-is-adverbium affirmandi, and hence its augmenting force in the few Greek words to be found in Lennep. * See ante Dis, and infra Se. 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 avɛv, in which the final syllable seems to be adventitious, like the e in sixe. "Avtv, he continues, appears to be nothing more than the negative av in compounds, such as avwòvvos, &c. in which the v 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 these words in the Dictionary, also unrip, unreave. The Lat. Ne, Pers. and Sans. Na, A. S. Na, English, No, nay: is adverbium negandi. Though I am professing to account for the monosyllabic or uniliteral prepositions only, I be excused if I introduce the bi-literal-ante. may Goth. and A. S. And, Francis et Alamannis, Ant, signifies-contra, adversus, manifestly (says Wachter) as the Gr. avr; whence the Lat. ante, opposite, before. It seems more probable that av-rɩ, signified generally apposition or position ad-joining; and that it was afterwards restricted to that apposition, in which the relative position of front was intended.* The meaning of the literal roots n & t or d, will sufficiently account for their connected use; and their consequent application is without difficulty. Ante, says Scaliger, castrensis vox fuit, quum obsiderent oppida, dicebant se esse ante oppidum.† Vossius considers R to be a prefix in the Lat. Rarus to the Gr. apatos, but Lennep is of opinion that R is too difficult of pronunciation to be easily prefixed before what he calls Original Letters; and Scheide affirms, that he has not met with any Greek words, to the radical letters of which P servilis could seem to have been so used. The Gr. apa; particula syllogistica (Lennep)‡ and the Lat. Re, præverbium loquelare, or loquelaris prepositio, as Vossius calls it, are the literal root,—R. In Northern Languages er, as it is variously written ar, er, ir, or, ur, is a common prefix. Wachter ascribes to it a multiplicity of powers equal to those, which he has bestowed upon Un. Thus, it is an adverb of order, signifying the beginning; and, it is an adverb of order, signifying the end. Kilian pronounces it to be equivalent to the Lat. Re; as er-maeck-en, reficere, to re-make. Re, we are told, is "an inseparable particle used by the Latins, and from them borrowed by us to denote iteration or backward action."§ Here again we are met by an apparent contradiction, for it has been contended, and, it is presumed, satisfactorily so, that the literal root R means before. How is this to be reconciled with iteration or backward action? 1. To re-make, er-maeck-en, re-ficere (i. e. facere) is to make or cause a thing to be as it was before. 2. To re-build, is to build that which had been built before. 3. To re-turn; is to turn the front, to front or face about; and also (in continuance of motion) to turn to the place or state, in which the person or thing was before. See Affront in the Dictionary. And see the quotation from him, p. 26. A To remake, to re-build, and to remind; imply a second making, a second building, a second minding; and, hence, the iteration or doing again, that which has been done before. To re-turn, implies a preceding motion from: and is, by usage, employed to denote a succeeding motion to; i. e. a motion necessary to bring the moving body to the place or state in which it was before. Not dissimilar to this, is our usage of with, in composition usually explained to signify opposition or privation, as, e. g. to with-draw, to with-hold, to draw or hold back or away: but any thing drawn or held back,-is also drawn or held to-sc. the drawer or holder; and thus with, in comp. retains its meaning: sc. join: but from being prefixed to words denoting a motion from as well as to, and the former the more emphatic in intention; it has been applied in comp. with a few other words denoting no such motion from—to express opposition, as to with-go, with-say. I again hope to be pardoned for introducing a Greek bi-literal-Пapa. Dr. Jamieson has written very elaborately upon this preposition, and observes, that as ❝this preposition has various cognates in the Gothic dialects, it is not improbable that it was formed from some word common to the Greeks and Goths." It seems, he adds, to claim as its kindred the Moes. G. Faur, faura, also written-fair; which is our English fore: And each,— the Gr. πατρα, and the Goth. fau-ra,—is composed of the same literal roots, b, (of which P, and f, are the cognates,) and r; and the explanation already given of be, and er, will sufficiently account for their connected use to denote motion forward: (A.S. Fa-r-an). The Gr. and Lat. Etymologists agree, that there is no Letter which the Romans prefixed to Greek words in greater numbers than the Letter S.-, a Latinis olim C, vulgo S. εξ sex sus υπο se ερπω serpo sal αλς To which may be added, &μ-—s-um. These are all before vowels: Vossius supplies some before consonants. υπερ sub super εος υλη suus sylva. γραφ-ω, scrib-o γλυφ-ω or γυλφ-ω, sculp-o. Σkvŷns, l'érns kaι Fordos, idem est, says Salmasius;—and so also the Cimbri and Exßpol.† The Lat. Se, prepositio loquelaris, inseparabilis, is the literal root S. Se is called also a preposition, separativa et abnegativa, in its power, and properly so if it mean, as it has been already urged that it does mean-Take-for when used separativè, it • Hermes Scythicus, b. i. c. 7. ! Dr. Prichard reverses the case; and gives the following with other words, from Vossius chiefly, as examples of the aspirate substituted for S. + See Ihre. Proemium De Lingua Scythica. is, as dis, in which se is comprized (di-se) also is, used in apposition or preposition, with some word itself signifying se-paration or partition, and then it affirms, augments, the force of the meaning;-but when so used with words denoting wholeness or entirety;—it reverses or negatives the meaning; as to se-join, to se-gregate. In the Northern Languages S (absolutè,†) is a common prefix to the consonants, with which it readily unites in pronunciation; e. g. Slack, lack; slime, lime; smart, mar; snip, nip; sneeze, neeze; splash, plash;-Smite, Lat. mittere. Speed, Lat. Ped-is;-Spend, Lat. pend-ere. Having thus disposed of the prefixes, that is, of the literal roots so used, we must now proceed to the suffixes received from the same source. The first is ive, supplied by V the cognate of B,-which we take immediately from the Lat., and which the Latin, according to Julius Scaliger, obtained from the Æolians by the insertion of their Digamma. The Greek ter. is koç, of which it will be necessary very shortly to speak at large, and the Lat. is Ivus. But with deference to Scaliger, the Gr. ipi, Lat. Vis, strength, power, -presents a more immediate origin for this Lat. termination. § Activus, qui agendi habeat potestatem: Active, who has the power of acting; who can or may act : motive, that can or may move, relative, that can or may relate or have relation. From this source we are well provided. The terminations ac, and ic, which Tooke denominates the potential active adjective, are immediately from the Gr. ak-os, -koç: but the root is the Goth. Auc-an, A.S. Eac-an, Gr. ay-ev, ag-ere, aug-ere, English, to eke, to aug-ment, to increase, to strengthen. And thus Cardiac-that can or may hearten: Analytic, that can or may analyse. Ic, ig, &c. are common augmentative suffixes to Saxon verbs; As Se-on, to see; Se-c-an, to seek; weri-an, to weary; wer-ig-ean, to weary much. Ag, in English softened into Age, Lat. Agium, denotes something added, put to or upon, imposed, charged upon as Pontage: a toll imposed or charged for passing over a bridge. Spelman suggests, that the Lat. Agium is from the Lat. Ag-ere; signifying in composition, i. e. as an affix: Actus. Wallis thinks we have it (the termination-age) immediately from the Lat. atio. There are some Lat. words, as Vor-ago, from vor-o; vert-igo, from vert-o; which confirm the opinion that ag-ium is from ag-ere." Ig, a common A.S. termination, softened into y, in English, as A.S. Blood-ig, Eng. Blood-y; De Causis, c. 98. + See ante B. denotes something added or adjoined or appertaining. Wachter thinks it to be sometimes from the Ger. auch-en, A. S. ic-an, to eke; at others from the Ger. eig-en, A. S. Ag-an, to owe; at others from Ger. Aug-en, Goth. Aug-an, to appear, (to eye.) One root, the literal root g, will support all the usages. In-g. is the ter. of our pres. part. and also of nouns. This part. was formerly written ande or and, ende or end; i. e. an-ed, or en-ed, and or end. An, is the infinitive, or verbal, termination:-Luf, (or lov,); luf-an, (or lov-en);-Ed, adjected or adjoined, constitutes our simple verb adjective, Lov-an, ed, lov-en-ed; lov-ande, or lov-ende. Loving, as we now write and have long written, is composed of the same Infinitive Lov-an; and-instead of the additional termination ed,—ig, of equivalent meaning, has been affixed; and as in the former case-an-ed, en-ed into ande or ende-the e has been transposed, and finally dropt: so in the latter an-ig, en-ig, or in-ig, has become in-ge, ing, ynge, yng. Wachter thinks that Ing sometimes is a termination formed (per epenthesin) from ig, habens, eig-en, habere, to have or hold (to owe).† Ing-the termination of nouns, is in A. S. Ung. Ger. Ung; and is used in all (Northern) Dialects, says Wachter, but the Gothic: what it may signify, he adds, is not very apparent : still he rejects the supposition, that it is a mere arbitrary termination; and he states its principal use to be in forming substantives, quæ actionem aut passionem rei significant; as the A. S. Thanc-ung, gratiarum actio: Francis et Alemannis, Auch-ung, augmentatio: Ger. Saml-ung, collectio: and innumerable others, a verbis oriunda. Wachter has a second termi nation in ung, which, annexed to substantives, is a note, frequentiæ: this he thinks is from auch-en; aug-ere; and is the same as ig, og, ug; and afterwards per epenthesin ung; as Wald-un, Holz-un, Sylva, locus lignosus, à Wald et holz, lignum. The epenthetic n has already been accounted for. This termination, so forming nouns, has been commonly supposed to have been assumed from the participial ter. in ing, and it is not at all improbable that, upon this supposition, great numbers of nouns have been formed and introduced into our language. Dr. Johnson, who gives them, after Wallis, the name of verbal nouns, only inserts them in his Dictionary, where he imagines that there are especial reasons for so doing. Isc, is also a common A.S. termination: it is formed from ic-es, ics, by transposition: and is in English softened into ish. It also denotes an addition: frequently, a small addition, a portion, as white, whitish.—-As Oak from Ac, so perhaps Ash, (tree) from As-ce. Ir, (i. e.) ics or igs, ice, ess: are terminations from the same source. Words with this suffix are usually applied to females, as those with er, or, &c. are to males. † See Owe, in the Dictionary. ↑ See Mr. Taylor's Additional Notes to Tooke, p. xvii. |