Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-03-30
Some Words.

Everybody who has opened dictionary
has been surprised, and perhaps little bit
mortified, to perceive upon every page to
which reference was made, a swarm of
words of which they did not know the
meaning. We speak the English language.
but the wisest of us are familiar with only
a fragment of the tongue. Out of the one
hundred thousand words contained in the
language, from three thousand to five
thousand suffice to meet the conversational
requirements of ordinarily educated per-
sons; and a few thousand more, perhaps,
cover the need of popular literature. The
remaining stock Of words is drawn upon
but rarely, and some of the reserved vo-
oubulary is hardly ever touched at all. Of
those words that are in common use, many
have derivations and original meanings
that will surprise him that is curious and
patient enough to seek them out. The
dictionary, which is really very good
book to read for entertainment as we'll as
instruction, will sometimes reveal the ety.
mologica secret, but often it will not; and
especially is it defective in not explaining
the origin of familiar proper names 1t
was Shakesperian scholar upon whose
mind it dawned, for example. that the
name Shakespeare was possibly a corrup-
tion, effected by the thick tongues of Brit,
ons, of the French names Jacques Pierre
Just as Charing Cross was wrought by the
same tongues from the Cross de Ia Chere
Refine. Whether the poets name really
had this origin or not may be an open
question, but the guess is an exceedingly
ingenious one. Not many people have
thought that the imperial name of Napo-
leon is an enlargement of "Napoli' and is
suggestive of the city of Naples; and salt
cellars stand upon millions of American
and English tables without anyone asking
why it is that vessel for salt should be
called cellar" unless it is that the
French name for such vessel is Saiaire
word which we have adopted, transform.
ed into "cellar" and prefixed very unnec
essarily with the word "salt."
The dictionary does not tell whence
came the name of that implement of the
kitchen and the butcher shop. the skewer
but the function of the article may sug
gest the origion of the name, for is not its
purpose to secure the pieces of meat, anc
is not "skewer" very natural corruption
of that worlp The tendency of the com
mon people toward verbal corruptions il
very remarkable. The lock of hair jus
above the hoof of horse was originally
the "foot-lock;" in the course of centuries
the name degenerated by usage until
became "fet.l lock" and that is the wore
that has found dignity by embodiment ii
dictionaries. But now that its acceptance
by educated people is assured, the unlearn
ed are trying to turn it back again and il
the stables every ostler, or hostler, calls
"foot.l lock-" How the word good" wa
developed from "God,' how evil wa
contracted from Devil" and how "hear'
is connected with ear is obvious to ever,
one who has pathological impulses. Few
however, perhaps known that "chess" an
CHECK" are the same words, that ''dean'
and deacon" December" and "deci
mate" have q common origin, and tina
the word "sexton" is merely corruption
of "sacristan," that is, a sacred person, o
q person who deals with sacred things
Outlandsh, Bible word, by the way
means simply foreign" bevond the land
and barbecue" is not of very distant xii
to barber and barbarian, for it mean
literally head and tail; the barbecue
animal is roasted from head TO tai
abba, father" which people find in thei
Bibles. is one of the earliest words of hu
man speech. 1t is the child's first wort
also; it is the word from which we hav
made the name of papa" and that act
a standing protest against those who teac
their children to say pappaW. That Nor
. day is merely "Moonday" everybod
, knows. but perhaps smaller number eve
think that 'Month" is simply "Moonth.
Not many women who wear thimbles II
member that they are literally "thumt
BELLS"