The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1877-12-12
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Complimentary TiaIes in society
and Everyday Life.

and SignIhes The sbond OF the house,
or Family house bond, as by him tn
family is formed, united and bound to
gether, and on his death is disunited AM
scattered. Hence we account for farm
ers and petty land holders being called
as early as the twelfth century, s'hus
bands" as appears in statute of David
H., king of Scotland. This etymOlogy
OF the word appears palmer in the or
biography of the thirteenth and four
teenth centuries, in which the word is of
ten found written ''house- bond"
The words bachelor" and "girl," the
first of which, being formerly held a
synonymous with ''young man." or
sweetheart" may be regarded as the
parallel and corresponding term to the
other. 1t may not be regarded as a very
1attering circumstance, but it is never,
theless, true, that the etymology of each
of these terms leaves us, in tracing their
derivations, to conclude that for the lat.
ter we must choose between the Saxon
word cart or churt and the Latin word
gGTrtlG, u garrnlous female. If the lat
ter of these derivations be correct, we
shall say in this case that the term girl
has departed much from its original sip
MITIGATION.
As for bachelors, etymolOgY is still less
kind, and still less decisive with respect
to the meaning of their distinctive des-
ignation,. One philologist refers the
term to Creek word, plainly signifying
foolish, which another derives it from
bas chieUalier French J, knight of the
meanest grade. BY some the word is
traced to the Latin baculus "a staff, be-
cause bachelors in their old age have
nothing but a stick or cane to lean upon;
and, lastly, the worthy commentator and
improver upon johnson, Mr.. III. p. Todd,
believes 'the most probable derivation
to be from bdcca taurus, the berry of a
laurel or bay; bachelors being young,
and of good hopes, like laurels in the
the berry," While duly considering
each of these theories, the reader win
probably conclude that the French deri-
walton of bGs chieUGlier is, after all, the
true original of bachelor. Gentlemen
of that class in society may, it is true,
defend their position with the pertinent
argument that vast change bas taken
place in the significance of terms. In
the seventeenth century the term "Miss,
as applied to the gentle sex, was con
sidered word of reproach. Miss Cross,
who is particularly mentioned in Haynes
Epilouge to Farquhar's Glove in a Bat
tle," about 1882, was the first actress
announced as Miss.
The words "sir" and madame are
derived by Muller from the Latin through
the Norman, madame being corruption
of the Latin mea dominia (mY mistress)
and sieur corruption Of seniors trans
lation of the German elder. Domino is
defined in Leveretts Latin-English Lex
icon thus: ''Domina, a mistress, lady.
This was a title of the Roman ladies from
their fourteenth year." In Riddle q
Arnold's English-Latin Lexicon we fnd
madame" and "miss" defined in Latin
thus; MADAME, domino, miss, as a
title of respect; of an unmarried lady,
domino" Upon these authorities it lie
argued as proper to regard madame as q
correct term to be used in addressing un-
married ladies as well as those who are
married. In this connection we find, in
that madam' IS given as askGStt ltff5STKi IN
English of both madame and mademoi-
selle in French. Thus, Madame,
madam, mistress, my lady. Mademoi-
selle, miss, madame.
In Nugent's French dictionary they
are given thus: Madame, my lady,
lady, ladyship, madam, mistress. Made
moiselle, madam, miss" Mademoiselle
being the peculiar title Of young unmar
ried ladies in French, and madam being
given as its equalent or definition in Eng
fish equally with miss, II seems proper to
address a young unmarried lady as
madam" since madam in English
has the same sense as mademoiselle in
French.
In the English dictionaries the word
madam" is defined as follows: In John
SON" Madam, the term Of compliment
used in address to ladies of every degree"
In Ash "Madam, a complimental ad
dress to ladies of every degree the com
mon title of ladies'" In Worcester.
Madam, term of compliment used in
address to a gentle woman a title given
to a respectable elderly lady; also, to
ladies of every degree. Madame, madam,
a title of respect for a married
lady" Webster defines it thus: mad
am, an appellation of complimentary
title given to married and elderly ladies,
or chiefly to them" In the later editions
we find the following modification
=" Madam, the same as madame. Mad
anne, my lady; gentlewoman, compli-
mentary or courteous form of address to
a lady, especially an elderly or married
lady"
The appelIation of "grass widow" is
said to be of French origin, from the
French Grace, implying a widow by cour
tesy. The word f'flirt is said to emanate
from the French wsGfeairette (my little
fower), a term applied to their young
lady friends by the gallants of Louis
XIV's court. The title Lady is derived
from the Anglo Saxon, and literally
means, 'giver of bread" Formerly, II
was a maxim that young woman should
never be married until she has spun her
self a set of body, table and bed linen.
From this custom all unmarried women
were termed ''spinsters"
The term "blue-stocking" is often APP
piled to class of literary pretensions,
but originally it was conferred on a socie-
ty of literary persons of both sexes in
England, organized ia 1850. The so
ciety derived its name from the blue
worsted stockings always worn by Ben
jamin StiIIingdeet, distinguished writer,
who vas one Of the most active pro-
moters of the association. This term was
subsequently conferred on literary ladies,
from the fact that the accomplished and
fascinating Mrs. birmingham wore blue
stockings at the social and literary en-
tainments given by the celebrated Lady
Mary Montagu.
The Nicholas Chmrch gOuth.
Augusta ConstitutIonaIist.l