Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-09-26
Ransbles Among Words.
PRRUsAL OF THE DICTIONARY WILL NOT BE TINE
OR LABOR wA1ED.

PERUsAL OF THE DICTIONARY WILL NOT BE TINE
Oh LABOR wA4ED.
From the San Francisco Chronicle
One OF the pleasantest and most entertaining
literary excursions that can be taken Is into the
dictionary. For this purpose it matters little
what dictionary is selected, whether Worcester or
Webster, or StormOuth, or even Walker or john
son, the rambler Will lind much to amuse him, II
he be only on pleasure BENT and much to inst ruct
him II he be actuated by more serious purpose,
When the fair Juliet asked "What's in a name?n
that shat which Call rose by any other n Inc
would smell as sweet" IL was q piece OF special
pie,dlng, Intended 70 carry conviction to herself
and TO prove TO herself that Montague and CapuleU
We're not, or need not be, necessarily hostile each
to the other; and being at once and In her own
that she got verdict In her favor; but the 1udg-
ment In That case, being so VIGOROUSLY obtalued
upon an ex pdrte presentation Of the question,
mas never Deen considered as q precedent 10 be
followed. Names and words are more than mere
empty sounds; they are things, and now here, ex-
Importance he called In Question. WA '.S'i
But IL Is rather with what we can md in the
course OF raInDle among words than with lin
gulsuc dissertations tuat we are now Interested
There are two methods OIL amusing oneself with
the dictionary. One Is TO take word which NAV
nave struck the eye or ear as peculiar unusual,
and hunt II down. and, when caught strip 1t Of all
the additions which have been maze to tt by t1me
Transmission, euphonistlc considerations and ali
the rest, and see what the word is and Why IL ia
Another way Is TO open tue dictionary az ra ndom
and trust TO luck for flushing q word from some
unsupported covert or finding 1t concealed or dis
guised IN SUCH way as To almost defy recop nj
tim; Tor your word Is shy bird and viii OFTEN lie
so close as almost TO be stepped on before making
itseii visible. II may be OF Interest TO experiment
a little with both these methOus, merely by Way
OF suggestion 10 future dictionary rambers.
Taking up recent publication, we nnd adver.
known author. Now, what In the name or ali Ihe
dictionary makers Is an "anagogicap story?
Is II TO be Of such a character that IL
sounding word as that which is remin
iseent OF cholagogue and 'Iever n lager"
or or OF Inc pedayogue and his brchen rod7 Let
the dictionary, informs US that "anagogicaI''
means no more nor less than mysterious and 80
our pedantic author or his pedantic publisher has
Inflicted Oh US such q bar barous word as anaeOvi.
Cal merely to inform US that the author In cues
tion Is going TO publish mysterious story. But
than mysterious? One Is Just as good Greek al
The otaer. and the later word has the advantage
OF being .understanded by the people," while the
OPENING book at random we chance upon the
word trivial" II is word which needs no accu-
rate definition. We all know what 1t means: we
do not know or stop TO think OF its origin. Trivial
means Dy It's derivation-rrom ht thiee and via
ways-pertlining TO the meeting OF three streets
as common In ancient Rome as elsewhere, OF stop
Ping To chat or gossip Oh the street corners or in
Tue Ia space formed BY tue intersection or streets
When II Is remembered that originally the word
was feminine In gender, that Is, In Latin, we may
at least hazard guess that Roman matrOns and
m.,ldens We're not averse 10 stopping on the cor
ners to chat or ~ exchange condolences about the
nj OF Corneiias new tune or now becoming the
togd ntts was 10 young SempoDius AtIicus, or 10
complain, as nowadays. OF The imprudence and
free. W
But now let US take brief ramble through the
dictionary. taking II In alphabetical order. Here
IS a ust OF WORKS. none OF which Is given as obsO-
iete, anu very few OF which are technical terms,
watch VIII at least put our young read rs TO their
u
nave 10 think twice before thinking Here Is the
asC ADeruncat0r. oipectinate, cauiescent, deg,
ehoue, iescue, geed hereal tschial, tuddOck, kage
nhlual. neLlc, nur, o,citaDt, pingster, Queacny,
rathe, skeg, few, ubicatiun, verrei, wynn xypnoid
o 9ergas, ana zoqtch lhs list was selected with
II may De sufficient to show that there are hidden
treasures In the dictionary worth seeking.
surprising as what 1t does For example, the very
eommon word ''seepage" Is not nndaDle, although
-, me uer0 "seep' isglven 'sparsey." TOO. word
W Instead, although he does admit 'sparsely" In
the list OF additional words. 1t used TO bx- said
WeDster's Unabridged Dictionary where the WORD
unabridged" could be found was on the cover as
- ~, was not admitted into the body OF the work.
OUT lnis may have been IN pursuance Of q general
plan 70 exclude negative prenxes.
A. wnsn we come 70 definitions we lose much Of
t tn pleasure which the previous generation en-
yoyed. Modern editions OF dictionaries have ilu-
proved on the earlier ones. Webster no longer de.
nnes o0n as a 'clrcumscriped su0cuIaneO1s pus.
ra e,uPdous ouppuTdttnB Will q centf0l core"
as the original dictionary did; nor would johnson
define oats as "a grain used for food for horses
n ENGLAND and for men In Scotland" The ten
oency OF modern photographers Is 10 explain, In
ss Oh trying 70 define word BY giving tue stu
9ent another, and for this purpose the ilustra-
ions In modern dictionaries are very useful
we nave said enough TO show that rambles
among words may be amusing as well as insLruc-
i've and we Can do no better than 70 recommend
~ students OF all ages the study o. the dictionary
NO one, no matter now richly endowed by native.
latent Ss.snt or even genius can nope 70 know Q
nd1 even his mother tongue by intuition,
Understand the nice shades OF meaning, the dis
sanctions which make style and literary perfection,
ne must study The dictionary, and be may rest
assured that it viii not be time or labor wasted
Retnforcements have been ordered 70 Suaiim.
Where the rebels nave assumed y threatening at
Si.uae. Gen. 0reniell and COL Kitcnener are pro-
ceeding In haste to that place
Aavices from Zanzibar state that the coast
snoes VINO attacked the German residents Of
nagomoyo last saturday have reiterated inland
Inc Germans arc preparing 70 pursue them.
Inc German semi on1clal press states that the