The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1893-04-20
CHANGES IN WORDS.
STRANGE DEPARTURES MADE FROM
ORIGINAL MEANINGS.

the Opposite of That which They Stood
for Many Years Ago-Hsre Are a Few
Examples Of Changes Of Meaning.
The word Bible furnishes striking
instance of words rise from very low
to high estate. To the bulk Of English
speaking folk it now means the Book OF
Books. In Chaucer's day it meant any
book whatever, or scroll. Tracing the
word Bible straight home % find 1t
but another name for the papyrus reed
Of Egypt. Cancellarius is another word
which has risen from humble origin to
high rank Under the early Roman EN-
perors 1t meant simply doorkeeper, by
which token Gibbon speaks of the
wrath Of the people Of Rome when the
worthless Emperor Carinus set his low
born cancellarius to rule over them,
And nowadays the lord high chancellor
Of England-though shorn Of some Of
the influence he welded in the days of
Thurlow and Eldon-ranks rather high
or than q mere doorkeeper Consul is
word which retains scarce a shred of
its olden grandeur. During their year
Of Office Rome's consuls twain ranked
above kings, and Cicero's pride in hay
ing filled this lofty post seems likely to
live forever in that luckless jingle of
his:
o fortu natum natum, me consule Roman!
But now nearly every fourth rate town
ON the face of the globe can boast half
dozen consuls. The Courteney motto
"Quid feel? Ubi lapsusI' might fit not
only this poor, degraded word, but the
name Of Cicero himself, which, under
the thin disguise of cicerone, now decks
every Cabling guide who hashes names.
dates and the queens English, or what
ever may chance to be his mother tongue
Patricius, in its English shape, patrici..n
--unmangled-still keeps some Of its old
dignity. But, to quote Gibbon, ''the
meanest subjects of the Roman empire
assumed the illustrious title Patricius
which, by the conversion Of Ireland. has
been communicated to whole nation
his meaning clear-here means that Ire
lands missionary, Succathus by name.
received the title Patricius whence St
PSsrick, whence Pat.
See how villanus has sunk. At the
outset It meant the worthy hind who
titled the broad acres surrounding
Roman squire's country seat. (For villa
another word which has gone down in
tho world-originally indicated. not a
snug suburban dwelling, but demesne
as well as mansion.) In the Middle
Ages, however, villanus, or villein, came
to mean q downtrodden tiller Of the
soil. who could scarcely call his soul
his own, and whose gross Ill treatment
bore its fruit-gross ill conduct. Hence
tho rank i'll odor in which the once
harmless word villain now lies stepped.
Note, too, how sophist has sunk. At
Its birth sophites-from sophia, wisdom
meant wise man. Had it acquired a
faint even when Pythagoras eschewed it
az too arrogant Or was it sheer mod
esty that led him to coin for himself the
unpretending word philosophers, lover OF
wisdom? Anyhow, sophist has sunk 30
low that 1t now denotes one skilled in
the base art of making the worse appear
the better reason. Hypocrite has shared
the fate of sophist. Originally the sole
and entirely honorable sense of upok-
relies was actor on the stage-not, as
now, an actor off it, q sly sinner feign-
ing himself virtuous. Our word actor
and still more actress-has acquired a
kindred faint, not from any fault in
those who use the art behind the foot
lights, but from the frailty Of those who
abuse it by playing part on life's stage.
instead Of showing themselves manfully
in their true colors.
Cunning has sunk 80 low that 1t car
scarce sink lower. 1t now means cute
and cute bears q perilous resemblance
to sharper-which we might define a
zone who would deem it an insult to b
told that he had missed u chance O
dipping fat" Yet knowing-now al
most synonym for sharper, and com
monty linked very significantly will
card-"He's knowing card"-original
ly meant kenning, or crafty in that hon
orable sense Of craft which still lives il
craftsman and handicraft Nay, at roo
cunning and kenning are one and tn
same word, Of which king itself is but
shortened form.
For our English forefathers-let theI
DO English, not Anglo-Saxon, If only g
O tribute to the memory Of the grei
historian so lately lost to us, who sper
half lifetime In trying to teach us thu
Englishmen are Englishmen, and alwa,
have been since first they set foot q
British soil-our English forefather
then, chose for their ruler the most GU
ming man they could find. And Il
word king lives on unsullied, as If
point the disgrace Of its old yoke mat
The disgrace, however, is Of recent dat
Could words speak, idiot-which is b
Greek docked Of its last syllable-mig
cry with poor Ophelia. 1--WE know VIII
we are; we know not what we may be
r. meant 3 man not clothed with publ
functions; it means man unfit for an
In the spacious days Of great Eliz
beth" noise signified band of musi
At least Shakespeare uses the word
that sense. But this pleasing sense
has wholly shed, although, by the by
the epdthet pleasing" would hard
have passed muster with the la
Alexander Dumas, who once defin
music Is 1.-THE costiliest Of noises
Conceited-like Humpty Dumpty-h
had . great fall; and clerk q slight or
We can hardly refrain from smilil
when Chaucer dubs the great Bill
Neonides that conceited clerk Hol