Abandon, to proclaim openly; to denounce; then to cast out. (From Low Lat. bannus, an edict.) The earlier meaning still survives in the phrase, "banns of marriage."

Admire, to wonder at.

Allow, to praise (connected with laud).

Amuse, to cause to muse, to occupy the mind of. "Camillus set upon the Gauls, when they were amused in receiving their gold," says a writer of the sixteenth century.

Animosity, high spirits; from Lat. animosus, brave.

Artillery (great weapons of war), was used to include bows, crossbows, etc., down to the time of Milton. See P. L. ii. 715; and 1 Sam. xx. 40.

Awkward, going the wrong way. From

M. E. awk, contrary. "The awk end" was the wrong end. "With awkward wind" with contrary wind.

Babe, doll. Spenser says of a pedlar

"He bore a truss of trifles at his back, As bells, and babes, and glasses in his pack."

Blackguard, the band of lowest kitchen servants, who had to look after the spits, pots, and pans, etc.

Bombast (an inflated and pompous style of speaking or writing), cotton-wadding. Boor (a rough unmannerly fellow), a tiller of the soil; from the Dutch boawen, to

till. (Compound neighbour.) In South Africa, a farmer is still called a boer.

Brat (a contemptuous name for a child), a Celtic word meaning rag. In Wales it now means a pinafore. Brave, showy, splendid. By-and-by, at once.

Carpet, the covering of tables as well as of floors.

Carriage (that which carries) meant for

merly that which was carried, or baggage. See Acts xxi. 15.

Cattle, a doublet of chattels, property. Lat. capitalia, heads (of oxen, etc.) Chaucer says, "The avaricious man hath more hope in his catel than in Christ." Censure (blame) meant merely opinion; from the Lat. censeo, I think. Shakespeare, in Hamlet i. 3. 69, makes Polonius say: "Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment."

Charity (almsgiving) meant love; from Lat. carus, dear, through the French.

Cheat (to deceive for the purpose of gain) meant to seize upon a thing as escheated or forfeited.

Cheer, face. "Be of good cheer"="Put a good face upon it." "His cheer fell" "His countenance fell."

Churl (an uncourteous or disobliging person) meant a countryman. Der. churlish. (Shakespeare also uses the word in the sense of a miser.)

Companion, low fellow. Shakespeare has such phrases as "Companions, hence!" Conceit (too high an opinion of one's self) meant simply thought. Chaucer was called "a conceited clerk"="a learned man full of thoughts." From Lat. conceptus, a number of facts brought together into one general conception or idea. Shakespeare has the phrase "passing all conceit"= beyond all thought. Count (to number) meant to think (2 with 3, &c.) with; from Lat. computo, I compute or think with. Count is a doublet, through French, of compute. Cunning, able or skilled. Like the word craft, it has lost its innocent sense. Danger, jurisdiction, legal power over. The Duke of Venice says to the Merchant, "You stand within his danger, do you not?" M. V. iv. 1. 180.

Defy, to pronounce all bonds of faith dissolved. Lat. fides, faith.

A

Delicious, too scrupulous or finical. writer of the seventeenth century says that idleness makes even "the soberest (most moderate) men delicious." Depart, part or divide. The older version of the Prayer-Book has "till death us depart" (now corrupted into do part). Disaster, an unfavourable star. A term from the old astrology. Disease, discomfort, trouble. Shakespeare

has, "She will disease our bitter mirth;" and Tyndale's version of Mark v. 35, is, "Thy daughter is dead: why diseasest thou the Master any further?"

Duke, leader. Hannibal was called in old English writers, "Duke of Carthage." Ebb, shallow. "Cross the stream where it is ebbest," is a Lancashire proverb. (The word is a cognate of even.) Essay, an attempt. The old title of such

a book was not "Essay on" but "Essay at." From Lat. exagium, a weighing.

An older form is Assay. Shakespeare has such phrases as "the assay of arms." Explode, to drive out by clapping of the hands. The opposite of applaud. Lat. plaudo, I clap my hands.

Explosion, a hissing a thing off the stage. Firmament, that which makes firm or strong. Jeremy Taylor (seventeenth century) says, "Custom is the firmament of the law."

Fond, foolish. The past participle of
A. S. fonnan, to act foolishly.
Frightful, full of fear. (Compare the old
meaning of dreadful.)

Garble, to sift or cleanse. Low Lat. garbellare, to sift corn.

Garland, a king's crown; now a wreath of

flowers.

Gazette (Italian), a magpie. Hence the Ital. gazettare, to chatter like a magpie; to write tittle-tattle. (It was also the name of a very small coin, current in Venice, etc.)

Generous, high-born. Lat. genus, race. Compare the phrases "a man of family;"

a man of rank." Shakespeare has "the generous citizens" for those of high birth.

Gossip, sib or related in God; a godfather or godmother. It now means such personal talk as usually goes on among such persons. (Compare the French commère and commèrage.)

Handsome, clever with the hands.

Harbinger, a person who prepared a harbour or lodging.

Heathen, a person who lives on a heath. (Cf. pagan, person who lives in a pagus, or country district.) Hobby, an easy ambling nag. Idiot (Gr. idiòtes), a private person; a person who kept aloof from public business. Cf. idiom; idiosyncrasy; etc. Imp, an engrafted shoot. Chaucer says: "Of feeble trees there comen wretched

impes."

Spenser has "Well worthy impe."

matter in hand.

Indifferent, impartial. "God is indifferent to all."

Insolent, unusual. An old writer praises Raleigh's poetry as "insolent and passionate."

Kind, born, inborn; natural; and then loving.

Knave, boy. "A knave child ": =a male child. Sir John Mandeville speaks of Mahomet as "a poure knave."

Lace, a snare. Lat. laqueus, a noose. Livery, that which is given or delivered,

Fr. livrer; from Lat. liberare, to free. It was applied both to food and to clothing. "A horse at livery" still means a horse not merely kept, but also fed.

Magnificent, doing great things; largeminded. Bacon says, "Bounty and magnificence are virtues very regal." Maker, a poet.

Manure, to work with the hand; a doublet of manœuvre. (Lat. manus, the hand.)

Mere, utter. Lat. merus, pure. Shakespeare, in "Othello," speaks of "the mere perdition of the Turkish fleet." "Mere wine" was unmixed wine. Metal, a mine.

Minute, something very small. Lat. minutus, made small; from minus, less. Cognates, minor; minish; diminish; etc. Miscreant, an unbeliever. Lat. mis (from minus), and credo, I believe; through O. Fr. mescréant.

Nephew, a grandchild. (Lat. nepos.) Nice, too scrupulous or fastidious. Shakespeare, in "K. John," iii. 4. 138, says"He that stands upon a slippery place, Makes nice of no vile hold to stay him up."

Niece, a grandchild. Lat. neptis.

Novelist, an innovator.

prævaricari, to spread the legs apart in walking.

Prevent, to go before. Lat. præ, before, and venio, I come. The Prayer-Book has, "Prevent us, O Lord, in all our doings."

Prodigious, ominous. "A prodigious meteor," meant a meteor of bad omen.

Punctual, attending to small points of detail. Lat. punctum; Fr. point.

Quaint, skilful. Prospero, in the "Tempest," calls Ariel "My quaint Ariel!" Racy, having the strong and native qualities of the race. Cowley says of a poet that he is

“Fraught with brisk racy verses, in

which we

The soil from whence they come, taste, smell, and see."

Reduce, to lead back.

Tarpaulin, a sailor; from the tarred canvas suit he wore. Now shortened into tar.

Thews, habits, manners.

Thought, deep sorrow, anxiety. Matthew vi. 25. In "Julius Cæsar," ii. 1. 187, we find, "Take thought, and die for Cæsar."

Trivial, very common. Lat. trivia, a place where three roads meet.

Sheen, bright, pure. Connected with shine.

Shrew, a wicked or hurtful person.
Silly, blessed.

Sincerity, absence of foreign admixture.
Soft, sweetly reasonable.

Spices, kinds-a doublet of species. (A grocer in French is called an épicier.) Starve, to die. Chaucer says, "Jesus starved upon the cross."

Sycophant, "a fig-shower" or informer against a person who smuggled figs. Gr. sukon, a fig; and phaino, I show. Table, a picture.

ing at.

Uncouth, unknown.

Union, oneness; or a pearl in which size, roundness, smoothness, purity, lustre, were united. See "Hamlet," v. 2. 283. A doublet is onion-so called from its shape.

Unkind, unnatural.

Urbane, living in a city. Lat. urbs, a city.

Usury, money paid for the use of a thing. Varlet, a serving-man. Low Lat. vassalettus, a minor vassal. Varlet and valet are diminutives of vassal.

Vermin was applied to noxious animals of whatever size. "The crocodile is a dangerous vermin." Lat. vermis, a

worm.

Villain, a farm-servant. Lat. villa, a farm.

Vivacity, pertinacity in living; longevity. Fuller speaks of a man as "most remarkable for his vivacity, for he lived 140 years."

Wit, knowledge, mental ability.

Worm, a serpent.

Worship, to consider worth, to honour. Wretched, wicked. A. S. wrecca, an outcast.