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<page 127>
WORD-BRANCHING.
When our language was young
and uninfluenced by other languages, it had the power of growing words.
These words, like plants, grew from a root; and all the words that grew
from the same root had a family likeness. Thus byrn-an the old word for
to burn, gave us brimstone, brown (which is the burnt
colour), brunt, brand, brandy, and brindle. These we might
represent to ourselves, on the blackboard, as growing in this way.
But,
unfortunately, we soon lost this power. From the time when the Normans came into
this country in 1066, the language became less and less capable of growing its
own words. Instead of producing a new word, we fell into the habit of simply
taking an old and ready-made word from French, or from Latin, or from
Greek, and giving it a place in the language. Instead of the Old English word
fairhood, we imported the French word beauty; instead of forewit,
we adopted the Latin word caution; instead of licherest, we took
the Greek word cemetery. And so it came about that in course of time we
lost the power of growing our own new words. The Greek word asterisk has
prevented our making the word starkin; the Greek name astronomy
has kept out star-craft; the Latin word omnibus has stopped our
even thinking of folkwain; and the name vocabulary is much more
familiar to our ears than word-hoard. Indeed, so strange have some of our
own native
<page 128>
English words become to us,
that sentences composed entirely of English words are hardly intelligible; and,
to make them quickly intelligible, we have to translate some of the English
words into Greek or into Latin. It is well, however, for us to become acquainted
with those pure English words which grew upon our own native roots, and which
owe nothing whatever to other languages. For they are the purest, the simplest,
the most homely and the most genuine part of our language; and from them we can
get a much better idea of what our language once was than we can from its
present very mixed condition.
The following are the most
important
ENGLISH ROOTS AND BRANCHES (OR
DERIVATIONS).
|
Ac, an oak—acorn, Acton, Uckfield. |
Bét-an, to make good—better, best; boot
(in “to boot” = “to the good”), bootless. |
|
Bac-an, to bake—baker, baxter[1]
(a woman baker), batch. |
Bind-an, to bind—band, bond, bondage;
bundle; woodbine; bindweed. |
|
Ban-a, a slayer—bane, baneful; ratsbane,
henbane. |
Bít-an, to bite—bit; beetle; bait; bitter. |
|
Bead-an, to pray—bedesman; beadle; bead
(“to bid one’s beads” was to say one’s prayers; and these were
marked off by small round balls of wood or glass—now called
beads—strung upon a string); forbid. |
Bla’w-an, to puff—bladder, blain
(chilblain), blast, blaze (to proclaim), blazon (a proclamation),
blare (of a trumpet); blister; blot, bloat. |
|
Beat-an, to strike—beat, bat (a short
cudgel); battle; beetle (a wooden bat for beating clothes with);
batter (a kind of pudding). |
Blow-an, to blossom—blow (said of
flowers); bloom, blossom; blood, blade; blowsy. |
|
Beorg-an, to shelter—burrow, bury (noun in
Canterbury—and verb); burgh, burgher; burglar (a house-robber);
harbour, Cold Harbour;[2] harbinger (a person sent on in
front to procure lodgings); borrow (to raise money on security). |
Brec-an, to break—break, breakers; brake,
bracken; breach, brick; break-fast; brook (= the water which
breaks up through the ground); brittle (= brickle or breakable);
bray (where the hard guttural has been absorbed). |
|
Bér-an, to bear—bear, bier, bairn; birth,
berth; brood, brother, breed, bird;[3] burden; barrow. |
Breow-an, to brew—brew, brewer; broth,
brose; bread (perhaps). |
[1]
Compare brewster, a woman brewer, spinster, webster, and others.
Brewster, Baxter, and Webster are now only used as proper
names.
[2]
Cold Harbour was the name given to an inn which provided merely
shelter without provisions. There are fourteen places of this name in
England. Many of them stand on the great Roman roads; and they were chiefly
the ruins of Roman villas used by travellers who carried their own bedding
and provisions. See Isaac Taylor’s ‘Words and Places,’ p.256.
[3]
Brid or bird was originally the young of any animal.
<page
129>
|
Bug-an, to bend—bow, elbow;[1]
bough; bight; buxom (O.E. bocsum, flexible or obedient). The hard
g in bigan appears as w in bow, as a gh
in bough, as a y in bay, as a k in
buxom = buk-som. |
Drif-an, to push—drive; drove; drift,
adrift. |
|
Byrn-an, to burn—burn, brown; brunt, brimstone;
brand, brandy; brindled. |
Drige, dry—dry (verb and adj.);
drought; drugs (originally dried plants). |
|
Catt, a cat—catkin; kitten, kitling;
caterpillar (the hairy cat, from Lat. pilosus, hairy),
caterwaul. |
Drinc-an, to soak—drink; drench (to make
to drink). Compare sit, set; fall, fell, etc. |
|
Ceapi-an, to buy—cheap, cheapen; chop (to
exchange); a chopping sea; chap, chapman; chaffer; Eastcheap,
Cheapside, Chepstow (= the market stow or place), Chippenham.[2] |
Drip-an, to drip—drip, drop, droop;
dribble, driblet. |
|
Cenn-an, to produce—kin, kind, kindred;
kindly; kindle. |
Dug-an, to be good for—do (in “How do you
do?” and “That will do”); doughty. |
|
Ceow-an, to chew—chew; cheek; jaw (= chaw);
jowl; chaw-bacon; cud (= the chewed). Compare seethe
and suds. |
Eác, also—eke (verb and adv.); ekename
(which became a nickname; the n having dropped from
the article and clung to the noun). |
|
Cleov-an, to split—cleave, cleaver; cleft;
clover (split grass). |
Eáge, eye—Egbert (= bright-eyed);
daisy (= day’s eye); window (-wind-eye). |
|
Clifi-an, to stick to—cleave; clip (for
keeping papers together); claw (by which a bird cleaves to a
tree); club (a set of men who cleave together). |
Eri-an, to plough—ear (the old word for
plough); earth (= the ploughed). |
|
Cnáw-an, to know—ken, know (= ken-ow—ow
being a dim.); knowledge. |
Far-an, to go or travel—far, fare;
welfare, fieldfare, thoroughfare; ferry: ford. |
|
Cnotta, a knot—knot, knit, net (the k
having been dropped for the eye, as well as for the ear). |
Feng-an, to catch—fang, finger,
new-fangled (catching eagerly after new things). |
|
Cunn-an, to know or to be able—can, con;
cunning; uncouth. |
Feówer, four—farthing; firkin; fourteen;
forty. |
|
Cweth-an, to say—quoth; bequeath. |
Fleóg-an, to flee—fly, flight; flea;
fledged. |
|
Cwic, alive—quick, quicken; quickset;
quicklime; quicksilver; to cut to the quick. |
Fleót-an, to float—fleet (noun, verb, and
adj.); float; ice-floe; afloat; flotsam[3]
(things found floating on the water after a wreck). |
|
Dáel-an, to divide—deal (verb and noun),
dole, deal (said of wood); dale, dell (the original sense
being cleft, or separated). |
Fód-a, food—feed; food, fodder, foster;
fath-er; forage (= fodderage), forager; foray (an excursion to get
food. |
|
Dem-an, to judge—deem, doom; dempster (the
name for a judge in the Isle of Man); doomsday; kingdom. |
Freón, to love—freond = friend (the pres.
part.) a lover; Fri-day (the day of Friay, the goddess of love);
friendship, etc. |
|
Deór, dear—dearth; darling; endear. |
Gal-an, to sing—gale, yell; nightingale.[4] |
|
Dóan, to act—do; don, doff, dup (= do up
or op-en); dout (= do out or put out); deed. Compare mow,
mead; sow, seed. |
Gang-an, to go—gang, gangway; ago (The
words gate and gait do not come from this verb, but
from get.) |
|
Drag-an, to draw—drag, draw, dray (three
forms of the same word); draft (draught); drain; dredge; draggle;
drawl. |
Gnag-an, to bite—gnaw (the g has
be- |
[1]
Elbow = ell-bow. The ell was the forepart of the arm.
[2]
The same root is found in the Scotch Kippen and the Danish
Copenhagen = Merchants’ Haven.
[3]
“Flotsam and jetsam” mean the floating things and the things
thrown overboard from a ship. Jetsam comes from the Old Fr.
jetter, to throw. (Hence also “jet of water”; jetty, etc.
Jetsam is a hybrid—sam being a Scandinavian suffix.
[4]
The n in nightingale is no part of the word. It is intrusive
and non-organic; as it also is in passenger, messenger, porringer,
etc. <page
130>
|
come a w); gnat; nag (to tease), connected with
nail. |
Penn-an. to shut up or enclose—pen, pin
(two forms of the same word); pound, pond (two forms of the same
word); impound. |
|
Graf-an, to dig or cut—grave, groove,
grove (the original sense was a lane cut through trees);
graft, engraft; engrave, engraver; carve (which is another form of
the verb grave). |
Pic, a point—pike, peak (two forms of the
same word);pickets (stakes driven into the ground to tether horses
to); pike, pickerel (the fish); peck, pecker |
|
Grip-an, to seize—grip, gripe; grasp;
grab; grope. |
Ráed-an, to read or guess—rede (advice);
riddle; Ethelred (= noble in cousel); Unready (= Unrede, without
counsel); Mildred (= mild in counsel). |
|
Gyrd-an, to surround—gird, girdle; garden,
yard, vineyard, hopyard. |
Reáf, clothing, spoil; reáfi-an, to
rob—rob, robber; reave, bereave; reever; robe. |
|
Hael-an, to heal—hale; holy, hallow,
All-hallows; health; hail; whole,[1] wholesome; wassail
(= Waes hàl! = Be whole!) |
Ripe, ripe—reap (to gather what is ripe). |
|
Hebb-an, to raise—heave, heave-offering;
heavy (= that requires much heaving); heaven |
Scád-an, to divide—shed (to part the
hair); watershed. |
|
Hlaf, bread—loaf; lord (hlaford =
loaf-ward); lady (= hlaf-dige, from dig-an, to knead); Lammas (=
Loaf-mass, Aug.1; a loaf was offered on this day as the offering of
the first-fruits). |
Sceap-an, to form or fashion—shape; ship
(the suffix in friendship, etc.); scape (the suffix in
landscape, etc.) |
|
Leác, a leek—house-leek; garlic; hemlock. |
Sceót-an, to throw—shoot, shot, shut (= to
shoot the bolt of the door); sheet (that which is thrown over
a bed); shutter, shuttle; scud. |
|
Licg-an, to lie—lie; lay, layer; lair;
outlay. |
Scér-an, to cut—shear, share, sheer,
shire, shore (all forms of the same word); scar, scare; score (the
twentieth notch in the tally, and made larger than the others);
scarify, sharp; short, shirt, skirt (three forms of the same word);
shred, potsherd (the same word, with the r
transposed); sheriff (= scir-geréfa, reeve of the shire); scrip,
scrap, scrape. The soft form sh belongs to the southern
English dialects: the hard forms, sc and sk, to the
northern. |
|
Loda, a guide—lead (the verb); lode-star,
lode-stone (also written loadstone). |
Scuf-an, to push—shove, shovel, shuffle;
scuffle; sheaf; scoop. |
|
Mag-an, to be able—may, main (in “might
and main”), might, mighty. |
Sett-an, to set, or make sit—set, seat;
settle, saddle; Somerset, Dorset. |
|
Mang, a mixture—a-mong; mongrel; mingle;
cheesemonger. |
Slag-an, to strike—slay (the hard g
has been refined into a y), slaughter; slog, sledge (in
sledge-hammer). |
|
Maw-an, to cut—mow; math, aftermath; mead,
meadow (the places where grass is mowed). |
Slip-an, to slip—slop; slipper, sleeve
(into which the arm is slipped). |
|
Món-a, the moon—month; moonshine. (This
word comes from a very old root, ma, to measure. Our Saxon
forefathers measured by moons and by nights, as we see
in the words fortnight, se’nnight.) |
Snic-an, to crawl—sneak, snake, snail
(here the hard guttural has been refined away). |
|
Naeddrë, a snake—adder. The n has
dropped off from the word, and has adhered to the article. Compare
apron, from naperon (compare with napkin,
napery); umpire, from numpire. The opposite example of
the n leaving the article and adhering to the noun is found
in nag, from an äg; nickname from
an ekename. |
Spell, a story or message—spell (= to give |
|
Nasu, a nose—nose, naze, ness (all three
different forms of the same word, and found in the Naze,
Sheerness, etc.); nostril = nose-thirl (from thirlian, to
bore a hole), nozzle; nosegay. |
|
[1]
The w in whole is intrusive and non-organic, as in whoop,
and in wun (= one, so pronounced, but not so written). Before the year 1500
whole was always written hole; and in this form it is seen to be a
doublet of hale. Holy is simply hole+y.
<page
131>
| an account of or
tell the story of the letters in a word); spell-bound; gospel (=
God’s spell). |
Tred-an, to
walk—tread, treadle; trade; tradesman, trade-win. |
| Stearc,
stiff—stark; strong (a nasalised form of stark); string (that
which is strongly twisted); strength; strangle. |
Truwa, good
faith—true, truth, troth, betroth. |
| Stede, a
place—stead, instead, homestead, farm-steading; steady; steadfast;
bestead; Hampstead. |
Twá,
two—two, twin, twain; twelve (= two + lufan, ten); twenty; between;
twig; twiddle; twine, twist, etc. |
| Stic´i-an,
to stick—stick, stitch (two forms of the same word), stake, stock,
stockade; stock-dove; stock-fish (fish dried to keep in stock);
stock-still. |
Waci-an, to
be on one’s guard—wake, watch (two forms of the same word); awake,
wakeful. |
| Stig-an, to
climb—stair; stile; stirrup (= stigráp, or rope for rising
into the saddle); sty (in pig-sty). |
Wad-an, to
go—wade; waddle; Watling Street (the road of the pilgrims). The Eng.
word wade is of the same origin as the Lat. vade in
evade, invade, etc. |
| Stow,
a
place—bestow; stowage, stowaway; Chepstow = the place where a
cheap or market is held); Bristol the l and
w being interchangeable). |
Wana, a
deficiency—wan, wane; want, wanton; wanhope (the old word for
despair). |
| Stýr-an, to
direct—steer, stern; steerage. |
Wef-an, to
weave—weave, weaver; web, webster (a woman-weaver); cobweb; woof,
weft (v, b, and f, being all labials). |
| Sundri-an,
to part—sunder; sundry; asunder. (Compare sever and
several.) |
War,
a
state of defence—war, wary, aware (= on one’s guard); warfare (going
to war); ward, guard (a Norman-French doublet of ward); warden,
guardian (the same). |
| Sweri-an,
to declare—swear, answer (= andswerian, to declare in opposition or
in reply to), forswear. |
Wit-an, to
know—wit, to wit; wise, wisdom; wistful; witness; Witena-gemote (=
the Meeting of the Wise); y-wis (the past participle, wrongly
written I wis). |
| Taec-an, to
show—teach, teacher; token (that which is shown); taught (when the
hard c reappears as a gh). |
Wraest-an,
to wrest—wrest, wrestle; wrist. |
| Tell-an,
to
count or recount—tell; tale,[1] talk; toll; teller. |
Wring-an,
to force—wring, wrong (that which is wrung out of the right
course). |
| Wyrc-an, to
work—work, wright (the r shifts its place). |
| Teoh-an,
(or teón), to draw—tow, tug (two forms of the same word, the
hard guttural having been preserved in the one); wanton (= without
right upbringing). Compare wanhope = despair; wantrust = mistrust. |
Wyrt, a
herb or plant—wort; orchard (= wort-yard); wart (on the skin); St
John’s wort, etc. |
| Thaec,
a
roof—thatch; deck. |
|
LATIN ROOTS.
| Acer (acris),
sharp; acrid, acrimony, vinegar (sharp wine, F.) eager (F.) |
Ago (actum),
I do, act; act, agent, agile, agitate, cogent. |
| Ædes,
a
building; edifice, edify. |
Alo, I
nourish; aliment, alimony. |
| Æquus,
equal; equality, equator, equinox, equity, adequate, iniquity. |
Alter,
the other of two; alternation, subaltern, altercation. |
| Ager,
a
field; agriculture, agrarian, peregrinate. |
Altus,
high; altitude, exalt, alto (It.), altar. |
<page
132>
|
Ambulo,
I walk; amble, perambulator. |
Cerno (cretum),
to distinguish; discern, discretion, discreet. |
|
Amo, I
love; amity, amorous, amiable (F.), inimical. |
Cingo (cinctum),
I gird; cincture, succinct, precinct. |
|
Angulus,
a corner; angle, triangle, quadrangle. |
Cito, I
call or summon; citation, recite (F.), excite (F.),
incite (F.) |
|
Anima,
life; animal, animate, animation. |
Civis, a
citizen; city (F.), civic, civil, civilise, civilian. |
|
Animus,
mind; magnanimity, equanimity, unanimous, animadvert. |
Clamo, I
shout; claim (F.), clamour, reclaim (F.), proclamation. |
|
Annus, a
year; annual, perennial, biennial, anniversary. |
Clarus,
clear; clarify, declare, clarion, claret (Fr.) |
|
Aperio
(apertum), I open; aperient, aperture, April
(the opening month). |
Claudo
(clausum), I shut; clause, close (F.), exclude, seclusion. |
|
Appello,
I call; appeal, appellation, appellant, peal (of bells). |
Clino, I
bend; incline, decline, recline. |
|
Aqua,
water; aqueduct, aquatic, aqueous, aquarium. |
Colo
(cultum), I till; cultivate, arboriculture, agriculture. |
|
Arcus, a
bow; arch, arc, arcade (Fr. It.) |
Cor
(cordis), the heart; courage (F.), cordial (F.), discord,
record. |
|
Ardeo, I
burn; ardent, ardour, arson (F.) |
Corona,
a crown; coronet, coroner, coronation, corolla. |
|
Ars
(artis), art; artist, artisan (F.), artifice, inert. |
Corpus,
the body; corps, corpse (F.), corpulent, corporation. |
|
Audio, I
hear; audience, audible, auditory. |
Credo, I
believe; credibility, credence (F.), miscreant (F.), creed,
creditor. |
|
Augeo
(auctum), I increase; augment, author, auctioneer. |
Creo, I
create; create, creation, recreation, creature. |
|
Barba, a
beard; barb, barber, barbel (all through F.) |
Cresco,
I grow; increase, decrease, increment. |
|
Bellum,
war; rebel, rebellious, belligerent, bellicose. |
Crux
(crucis), a cross; crucial, crucifix, cruise (F.) |
|
Bis,
twice; biscuit, bissextile, bisect, bicycle. |
Cubo, I
lie down; cubit, incubate, recumbent. |
|
Brevis,
short; brevity, abbreviate, brief (F.), breviary, abridge (F.) |
Culpa, a
fault; culprit, culpable, exculpate, inculpate. |
|
Cado
(casum), I fall; casual, accident. |
Cura,
cure; curate, curator, accurate, secure, incurable. |
|
Cædo
(cæsum), I cut, kill; precise, excision, decide. |
Curro
(cursum), I run; current, recur, excursion, cursory, course
(F.), occur. |
|
Candeo,
I shine; candidus, white; candid, candidate,
candle. |
Decem,
ten; decimal, December, decimate. |
|
Cano
(cantum), I sing; cant, canticle, chant (F.), incantation. |
Dens
(dentis), a tooth; dentist, dental, indent, trident. |
|
Capio
(captum), I take; captive, accept, reception (F.), capacity. |
Deus,
God; deity, deify, divine. |
|
Caput,
the head; capital, captain, cape, chapter (F.) |
Dico
(dictum), I say; verdict, dictionary, dictation, indictment,
ditto. |
|
Caro
(carnis), flesh; carnal, carnival, carnivorous, carnation. |
Dies, a
day; diary, diurnal, meridian. |
|
Causa, a
cause; causative, accuse (F.), excuse (F.) |
Dignus,
worthy; dignity, dignify, indignant, deign (F.) |
|
Cavus,
hollow; cavity, cave, excavate, concave. |
Do (datum),
I give; date, data, donor, tradition. |
|
Cedo
(cessum), I go, yield; proceed (F.), ancestor (F.), secede. |
Doceo
(doctum), I teach; docile, doctor, doctrine. |
|
Centrum
(Gr. κεντρον = a point), centre; centralise, centripetal,
eccentric. |
Dominus,
a lord; domineer, dominion, dominant, dame (F.), damsel (F.),
madame (F.) |
|
Centum,
a hundred; century, centurion, cent. |
|
<page
133>
|
Domus,
a house; domestic, domicile. |
Gravis,
heavy; grave, gravity, grief (F.), aggrieve (F.) |
|
Dormio,
I sleep; dormitory, dormant, dormouse. |
Habeo
(habitum), I have; habit, able, exhibit, prohibition. |
|
Duco
(ductum), I lead; induct, education, duke (F.), produce. |
Hæreo
(hæsum), I stick; adhere, adherent, cohesion. |
|
Duo,
two; dual, duel, duplex, double (F.) |
Homo, a
man; homicide, homage (F.), human, humane. |
|
Emo
(emptum), I buy; exemption, redeem. |
Ignis,
fire; ignite, igneous. |
|
Eo (itum),
I go; exit, transit, circuit (F.), ambition, perish (F.) |
Impero,
I command; imperative, imperial, empire, emperor (F.) |
|
Erro, I
wander; err, error, aberration. |
Initium,
a beginning; initiate, initial. |
|
Facies,
a face; facial, facet (F.), superficial. |
Insula,
an island; isle, insular, peninsula. |
|
Facio
(factum), I make; manufacture, factor, faction, fashion (F.),
feature (F.), fact, feat (F.) |
Jacio
(jectum), I throw; adjective, project, injection, object,
subject. |
|
Fero
(latum), I carry; infer, suffer, reference, difference;
relative, correlative. |
Judex
(judicis), a judge; judgment (F.), judicial. |
|
Fido, I
trust; confide, diffident, infidel. |
Jungo
(junctum), I join; junction, juncture, conjoin (F.), adjunct. |
|
Filum, a
thread; file, defile, profile, fillet (F.) |
Jus
(juris), right; justice (F.), jury, injury. |
|
Finis,
the end; finish, finite, infinite, infinitive. |
Labor
(lapsus), I glide; lapse, relapse, collapse. |
|
Firmus,
firm; infirm, affirm, confirm. |
Lapis
(lapidis), a stone; lapidary, dilapidated. |
|
Flecto
(flexum), I bend; inflect, inflection, flexible. |
Laus
(laudis), praise; laud, laudable, laudation, allow (F.) |
|
Flos
(floris), a flower; floral, flora, floriculture. |
Lego
(lectum), I gather, read; collet, elector, select; lecture
(F.), legend, legible. |
|
Fluo
(fluxum), I flow; fluent, fluid, flux, affluent. |
Lego
(legatum), I send; legate, delegate, legacy. |
|
Folium,
a leaf; foliage, foil (F.), portfolio, trefoil (F.) |
Levis,
light; levity, alleviate, relief (F.), lever, leaven. |
|
Forma, a
form; form, formal, reform, conformity. |
Lex
(legis), a law; legal, legislate, legitimate. |
|
Fortis,
strong; fortify, fortitude, fortress, force (F.) |
|
