Etymons of English Words Author:John Thomson Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: PREFACE. The following attempt to trace the descent of English words, which begin with the letter M is submitted to public judgment, with a view to ascertain,... more » by an abridged sample, whether the author would be justified in committing the entire work to the press. He has endeavoured to show the connexion between our own and some other tongues, both of Europe and Asia, without introducing any remarks where the general meaning was evident. The Gothic words, from five dialects of that language, are inserted, as concurrent etymons; to which the Russian and Irish vocabularies, at least in the proportion of one third part, bear evident affinity, either by cognation or adoption ; although so much disguised, by a different orthography, that they could not be usefully added without explanations too diffuse for the present object. The plan, as the reader will observe, is studiously concise; being obviously intended rather as an Index than a Glossary. The cursory observer will find it sufficient for his purpose; and those who are inclined to deeper research must apply to the under-mentioned sources of information. The Index of Vereleus contains nearly all the Gothic roots employed in English ; and a new edition of that valuable record, with improved arrangement, is now in preparation. The Glossaries of Ihre, of Schertz and Oberlin, the Thesaurus of Hickes, and the Dictionary of Lye, exhibit the variations that occur in the Swedish, Teutonic, Moeso-Gothic and Anglo-Saxon dialects; and to them the inquisitive reader must have reference. He will do well to consult also the Scottish Etymology of Dr. Jamieson. The contractions employed to indicate different languages are to be understood thus : A. Arabic. Hind. Hindoostanee. Russ. Russian. Arm. Armoric. I. Irish. Sans. Sanscrit. B....« less