CHAPTER XI.

OF DERIVATION.

SECTION I.

Of the various ways in which words are derived from one another.

HAVING treated of the different sorts of words, and their various modifications, which is the first part of Etymology, it is now proper to explain the methods by which one word is derived from another.

Words are derived from one another in various ways, viz.

1. Substantives, are derived from verbs.

2. Verbs are derived from substantives, adjectives, and sometimes from adverbs.

3. Adjectives are derived from substantives.

4. Substantives are derived from adjectives.

5. Adverbs are derived from adjectives.

1. Substantives are derived from verbs: as, from "to love,” comes "lover;" from "to visit, visiter;" from "to survive, surviver," &c.

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In the following instances, and in many others, it is difficult to determine, whether the verb was deduced from the noun, or the noun from the verb, viz. 'Love, to love; hate, to hate; fear, to fear; sleep, to sleep; walk, to walk; ride, to ride; act, to act," &c.

2. Verbs are derived from substantives, adjectives, and sometimes from adverbs; as, from the substantive salt, comes, "to salt;" from the adjective warm, "to warm;" and from the abverb forward, "to forward." Sometimes they are formed by lengthening the vowel, or softening the consonant: as from "grass, to graze;" sometimes by adding en: as, from "length, to lengthen;" especially to adjectives: as, from "short, to shorten," "bright, to brighten."

3. Adjectives are derived from substantives, in the following manner: Adjectives denoting plenty are derived from substantives by adding y: as, from "Health, healthy; wealth, wealthy; might, mighty," &c.

Adjectives denoting the matter out of which any thing is made, are derived from substantives by adding en: as, from "Oak, oaken; wood, wooden; wool, woollen," &c.

Adjectives denoting abundance are derived from substantives, by adding ful: as, from "Joy, joyful; sin, sinful; fruit, fruitful," &c.

Adjectives denoting plenty, but with some kind of diminution, are derived from substantives, by adding some: as, from "Light, lightsome; trouble, troublesome; toil, toilsome," &c.

Adjectives denoting want are derived from substantives, by adding less: as, from "Worth, worthless;" from "care, careless; joy, joyless," &c.

Adjectives denoting likeness are derived from substantives, by adding ly: as, from "Man, manly; earth, earthly; court, courtly," &c.

Some adjectives are derived from other adjectives, or from substantives, by adding ish to them; which termination, when added to adjectives, imports diminution, or lessening the quality: as, "White, whitish;" i. e. somewhat white. When added to substantives, it signifies similitude or tendency to a character: as, "Child, childish, thief, thievish."

Some adjectives are formed from substantives or verbs, by adding the termination able; and those adjectives signify capacity: as, answer, answerable; to change, changeable."

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4. Substantives are derived from adjectives, sometimes by adding the termination ness: as, White, whiteness; swift, swiftness" sometimes by adding th or t, and making a small change in some of the letters: as, "Long, length; high, height."

5. Adverbs of quality are derived from adjectives, by adding ly, or changing le into ly; and denote the same quality as the adjectives from which they are derived: as, "from "base," comes "basely;" from "slow, slowly;" from able, ably."

There are so many other ways of deriving words from one another, that it would be extremely difficult, and nearly impossible, to enumerate them. The primitive words of any language are very few; the derivatives form much the greater number. A few more instances only can be given here.

Some substantives are derived from other substantives, by adding the terminations hood or head, ship, ery, wick, rick, dom, ian, ment, and age.

Substantives ending in hood or head, are such as signify character, or qualities: as, "Manhood, knighthood, falsehood," &c.

Substantives ending in ship, are those that signify office, employment, state, or condition: as, "Lordship, stewardship,

partnership," &c. Some substantives in ship, are derived from adjectives: as, "Hard, hardship," &c.

Substantives which end in ery, signify action or habit: as, "Slavery, foolery, prudery," &c. Some substantives of this sort come from adjectives: as, "Brave, bravery," &c.

Substantives ending in wick, rick, and dom, denote dominion, jurisdiction or condition: as, " Bailiwick, bishoprick, kingdom, dukedom, freedom," &c.

Substantives which end in ian, are those that signify profession: as, "Physician, musician, &c. Those that end in ment and age, come generally from the French, and commonly signify the act or habit: as, "Commandment, usage."

Some substantives ending in ard, are derived from verbs or adjectives, and denote character or habit: as, "Drunk, drunkard; dote, dotard."

Some substantives have the form of diminutives; but these are not many. They are formed by adding the terminations, kin, ling, ing, ock, el, and the like: as, "Lamb, lambkin; goose, gosling; duck, duckling; hill, hillock; cock, cockerel, &c.

That part of derivation which consists in tracing English words to the Greek, Latin, French, and other languages, must be omitted, as the English scholar is not supposed to be acquainted with these languages. The best English Dictiona ries will, however, furnish some information on this head, to those who are desirous of obtaining it. The learned Horne Tooke, in his "Diversions of Purley," has given an ingenious account of the derivation and meaning of many of the adverbs, conjunctions, and prepositions: and as the student will doubtless be amused, by tracing to their Saxon origin some of these words, we shall present him with a list or specimen of them; which we presume will be sufficient to excite his curiosity, and induce him to examine the subject more extensively.

ABOUT-is derived from a, on, and bout, signifying boundary: On the boundary or confines.

AMONG OF AMONGST comes from the passive participle, gemænced, which is from gemengan, to mix.

AND--is from the imperative an-ad, which is from the verb, anan-ad, signifying to accumulate, to add to: as, "Two and two are four;" that is, "Two add two are four. ASUNDER--comes from the participle asundred of the verb asundrian, to separate: and this verb is from sond, sand. ATHWART—is derived from the passive participle athweoried of the verb athweorian, to wrest.

BEYOND comes from be-geond: geond, or goned, is the pas

sive participle of the verb gangan, to go, to pass: Be passed, be gone.

BUT from the imperative bot, of the verb botan, to boot, to superadd, to supply: as, "The number three is not an

even number, but an odd;" that is, "not an even number, superadd, (it is,) an odd number."

BUT-from the imperative, be-utan, of the verb beon-utan, to be out. It is used by way of exception: as, "She regards nobody, but him;" that is, "nobody, be out him." IF-comes from gif, the imperative of the verb gifan, to give: as, "If you live honestly, you will live happily;" that is, "give you live honestly."

LEST-from the participle lesed, of the verb lesan, to dismiss. THOUGH―from thafig, the imperative of the verb thafigan, to

allow; as, "Though she is handsome, she is not vain :" that is, "Allow, grant, she is handsome."

INLESS-comes from onles, the imperative of the verb onlesan, to dismiss or remove; as, "Troy will be taken unless the palladium be preserved;" that is, "Remove the palladium be preserved, Troy will be taken.

WITH-the imperative of withan, to join: as, "A house with a party-wall;" that is, "A house join a party-wall."

WITHOUT-Comes from wyrth-utan, the imperative of the verb wyrthan-utan, to be out: as, "A house without a roof;" that is, "A house be out a roof."

VET is derived from get, the imperative of the verb getan, to get: as, "Yet a little while;" that is, "Get a little time."

THROUGH-COmes from Gothic and Teutonic words, which signify door, gate, passage: as, "They marched through a wilderness;" that is, "They marched the passage a wilderness."

FOR-is from Saxon and Gothic words, signifying, cause, motive: as, "He died for his religion;" that is, " He died, the cause his religion."

FROM-is derived from frum, which signifies beginning, origin, source, &c.: as, "The lamp hangs from the ceiling;" that is, "Ceiling the place of beginning to hang." To comes from Saxon and Gothic words, which signify action, effect, termination, to act, &c.: as, Figs come from Turkey to England:" that is, "Figs come-beginning Turkey-termination England."

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It is highly probable, that the system of the acute grammarian, from whose work these Saxon derivations are borrowed,

is founded on truth; and that adverbs, prepositions, and conjunctions, are corruptions or abbreviations of other parts of speech. But as many of them are derived from obsolete words in our own language, or from words in kindred languages, the radical meaning of which are, in general, obscure or unknown; as the system of this very able etymologist is not universally admitted; and as, by long prescription, whatever may have been their origin, the words in question appear to have acquired a title to the rank of distinct species; it seems proper to consider them as such, in an elementary treatise of grammar; especially as this plan coincides with that by which other languages must be taught; and will render the study of them less intricate. It is of small moment, by what names and classification we distinguish these words, provided their meaning and use are well understood. A philosophical consideration of the subject, may, with great propriety, be entered upon by the grammatical student, when his knowledge and judgment become more improved.

Some critics carry their respect for the Saxon tongue, and their fondness for derivation, to so great an extent, that if their opinions were adopted, and reduced to practice, our language would be disorganized, and many of its rules and principles involved in obscurity. Etymological deductions may certainly be pushed too far, and valued too highly. Like other things they have their proper use and limits, which ought, on no occasion, to be violated. Our Saxon ancestors were governed by their own lights, and by the improvements which they made on the practice of their predecessors. We too must be allowed the privilege of forming our own laws, and adapting them to our wants and convenience. Succeeding generations of men have an indubitable right to alter the old words of their predecessors, both in point of meaning and orthography; to make new ones, and to class the whole, according to their own views and circumstances. This right, with regard to our own tongue, has been regularly, though very gradually exercised; and the result has been a great amelioration of the language in every point of view.

If fanciful, or learned etymologists, are to decide for us, by their remote researches and discoveries, our improvements are at an end. We have nothing to do but to inquire what was the practice of ancient writers; and to submit to the rude phraseology of authors, who were far inferior to us in science and literature. But during this inquiry, we should be plunged into a state of uncertainty and fluctuation. The various opinions and contests of our Saxon etymologists would perplex and confound us. This, however, would not be our only embar