serves to express clearly the meaning of the first word in the compound noun water-lily.' Many compound nouns, consisting formally. of two parts, have, when translated by means of phrases, at least three parts, of which one is a preposition. To express fully the meaning of one of these compounds, the order of its two parts must be inverted, and a preposition must be placed between them. Ex.: a church-yard' is a yard near the church.' The general law or habit of forming compounds is this:-two words between which some well-known relation exists are placed together, and it is assumed that a simple reference to usage will make their relation clear. In many instances no sign of connexion is placed between the two words, as when we write, 'He was killed by a cannon ball.' In other cases a hyphen is set between the two words, as in the examples: bank-note,' cannon-ball,'' cypress-trees,' 'good-natured,' 'hackney-coach,' 'hén-coop,' 'tilt-yard,' weak-sighted.' When by frequent use the two parts of a compound are so closely united that we cease to think of them as two, they are written as one word. Ex.: 'Cheapside,' 'grásshopper,' 'lawsuit,' shopkeeper,' sunset,' 'wórkman.' The general rule-not strictly observed-is to drop the hyphen when the compound has been made firm, The place of the accent is not in every instance clearly defined.

6

The following are examples of prepositional phrases required to express fully the meanings of some compound

nouns:

'béll-wether' = the sheep with the bell.

=

'bírth-right' right acquired by birth.

cannon-ball = a ball to be fired out of a cannon. 'fire-wood' wood.for making fires.

'grásshopper' = a cricket that hops on grass.

'góld-wire = wire drawn out of gold.

'lándlord = owner of land.

'Máy-fly' a fly appearing in May.
pén-knife' a knife for making pens.
ráil-way' = a road made of rails.

=

6 séa-breeze =

self-contról '

breeze blowing from the sea. = government of one's self.

Many compound nouns are partly made of verbal nouns ending in ing.

Ex.: 'eáting-house' = a house for eating. 'fishing-rod' = a rod for fishing.

6

'landing-place' = a place for landing.
wálking-stick' a stick for walking.

=

It is obvious that, in these examples, the words ending in ing must not be described as qualifying adjectives, or as immediately connected with their following nouns. Ex.: in walking-stick' the first part does not de

note a quality belonging to the second.

Of some compounds the meanings must be found in their history. Ex.: 'gossip' is a corrupt form of godsib, which in E.II. is changed to 'gossib.' Of the two words united in the compound the first was once equivalent to

the sacred name 'God,' and the second (sib) had the meaning of the word ' akin.' A godfather was therefore called godsib, as one who was made akin, or closely related, to another by a sacred relationship. At a later time the word was made to serve as a name for any familiar friend, and then it was used to describe familiar or trivial conversation.

A+ N.-In compounds of this class the adjective mostly retains its ordinary use, and is placed in immediate attributive relation with the noun. Ex.: blackberry,' 'fréeman,' ' hóliday.'

V+N.-Compounds of this class are less numerous than those of the classes already noticed. Ex.: 'píck-pocket,' 'túrn-spit,' 'túrn-coat,' 'túrn-key.'

PROPER NAMES.

Among names of lands and towns in First English several are formed by adding to a more definitive word one of the words burh (borough), land (land), rice (realm), mægð (nation). Some names of places, like names of persons, have been contracted and otherwise altered, so that their first forms are not readily seen. Thus at pære burh becomes 'Atterbury' and Attenbury.' The r was lost when the grammatical gender of burh was forgotten, or n was inserted for the sake of euphony. Final words in names of places have historical interest. Some have in the course of time become so much worn or obscure that they look like suffixes, though they are words, and in many instances their meanings are known. A few words borrowed from Latin are found among them. Others are mostly, or exclusively, found in Northern Names. In English names of places the first word is definitive; but in many Keltic names of the same class the second word is definitive. [See § 39.]

35. COMPOUND ADJECTIVES.

A Compound Word that serves as an Adjective may have one of these two forms :-A + A; N + A.

The form V+ A is rarely seen. Ex.: 'forgét-ful.'

A + A.—In some compounds of this class the relation of one word to the other may be simply expressed by 'and' or by the sign +.

Ex.: bitter-sweet,' the name of a plant (woody nightshade, of which the Latin name is dulcamāra) = bitter and sweet.

But in more numerous compounds having the form A + A

the first adjective defines the second, as in the examples 'bright-réd' and 'rúddy-brówn.'

The second adjective may have the form of the Imperfect, or of the Perfect Participle. Ex.: hard-working,' 'openhéarted,' 'high-minded.'

In the last two examples a noun with the suffix ed serves as an adjective having the form of a Perfect Participle. The verb 'shape' exists, from which the adjective in 'well-shaped' is formed. We have no verbs from which we can form such adjectives as 'héarted' and 'minded.' In other examples are found apparent Perfect Participles that are, in fact, nothing more than adjectives, of which the ending ed means 'supplied with.' These adjectives are good English words in E.I., as in M.E. [See § 36.]

N+A. In some compounds of this class the noun defines the adjective with respect to likeness. Ex.: 'nút-brown,' 'snów-white.'

The adjective having the form of the Imperfect Participle is preceded by a noun serving as the object. Ex.: 'fruitbearing,'' sóul-stirring.'

In some compounds the relation of the adjective to the preceding noun may be expressed by a preposition.

Ex.: brím-ful' = full to the brim.

'héart-sick' = sick at heart.

Compounds of the First Order-i.e. those in which each word has a distinct meaning and is one of the chief parts of speech-are rarely used as English Verbs. The few examples found have the forms N + V and A + V.

One almost obsolete word, of Latin and Norman-French origin'vouchsafe'-has the form V + A. The Latin vocāre salvum N.F. vochier salf, E.II. vouche saf, vouchsafe (= to promise safety; or, with loss of its primary meaning, to grant).

=

mis, used in composition, is closely related with the noun 'miss' (a failure), but is used in E.I. as a particle. Ex.: mislædan (= mislead).

In First English some compound verbs of the forms N + V and A+ V have for the second part -læcan. Its meaning is rather vague, but it generally has the force of 'to make,'' to make for,' 'to become,' or 'to come,' as may be seen in the examples appended.

Ex.: efenlæcan = to become like, or to imitate.

he bam hûse geneálæhte
neálæcan

= to come near.

=

he came near (to) the house.

winterlæcan to make for winter.

+ V-Compound verbs having this form are rare. Ex.: backsite, browheat,wiylay.

In hack-cite the noun is the object: brow-beat' to treacan by frowning W17-187 = 7 eset n the vi.

Some apparent examples of the form N-Vare ionit. In backside the first word is & particle. Insecth-say the irst word may be either a noun or an adjective. The verb parbol locks like a compound of cars and · Soil.*

Such words as hetify' ·egnity,' and 'multiply' are in some Grammars plared among English Cempenadsof the First Ondan It is true that. in Latin, their component parts are stems, but in English fy and ply serve miy as mifixes.

It must not be mpposed that because we may use such compounds is hook-learned. mota-eaten." "new-angled, and wind-fallen.' we have any yeh like fangle, or that we may in such compound verns as hecklearn, meth-ea" and rand-fi The compound new-fangled represents the E.II. adjective new-fangle." The compounds book-learned." *moth-eaten,' and wind-fallen belong to the class NA. The com pounds high-minded' and 'open-hearted belong to the class A+ A. The word 'wind-fall' (a shortened form of wind-fallen") is commonly used as

A+ V-Compound verbs of this class are rare.

'falfil,' 'rough-héw."

The latter word is found in the writings of SHAKESPEARE.

Ez.:

A compound word is sometimes used as part of another compound. Ex.: húsband-man.' Here 'hus-band'

=

hûs-bonda, a householder, or a peasant who has a fixed place of abode.

'lord-lieutenant.' [lieu-ténant' = locum tenens, one holding the place of another.]

'Shepherd-Lord." ['shep-herd' = sceap-hyrde, a keeper of sheep.]

'stirrup-leather." ['stirrup' = stige‐râp, a rope for climbing up.]

The word 'stirrup' may serve as an example of several old compounds, so far disguised by modern forms as to be no longer noticed as compounds. The following words belong to this class:

'curfew' (Fr. couvre-feu).
'orchard' (= E.I. ort-geard

Several words that look like English compounds are corruptions of French words.

Ex.: cray-fish' is most probably a corruption of the Old French word

escrevisse.

The accent in Compound Words of the First Order is mostly placed on the first or the definitive word, as in 'súnrise' and 'sunset.'

But to facilitate, or to make distinct, its pronunciation, a compound may have the accent on the second word; or, in certain cases, may have

two accents.

Ex.: north-east,' ' north-west,' etc.; wéll-héad;' 'lórd-lieutenant.'

In some instances doubt may exist with respect to the accentuation of compounds seldom used. In proportion as they become more and more familiar, the tendency of the accent to fall on the first part becomes stronger. It has already been noticed that accents serve to make verbs distinct from nouns. [See * 5.] In examples of compounds it will of course be understood that the accent given to a word used as a noun may be changed when that word serves as a verb.

37. PREFIXES.

A Compound Word of the Second Order is formed by connecting or placing together a Chief Word or a Stem and a Particle.

The Particle is placed before the Chief Word or the Stem, and is, therefore, called a Prefix.

In the verb 'pre-fix' the first syllable is the prefix and the second has the accent; but when the same word serves as a noun, the accent falls upon the pré-fix.

With respect to their sources, Prefixes are divided mainly into two classes-English and Roman.

Several Greek prefixes are used as component parts of words.

With respect to their uses, Prefixes are called inseparable or separable.

An inseparable Prefix has no use save in composition.
A separable Prefix can be used apart.

In the word 'awake,' the first syllable a is an inseparable prefix.

In the word 'overflow,' 'over' is a separable prefix, which is used

apart in the sentence, 'The water flowed over the bank.'

The following English Prefixes are inseparable :— -a, an, un, be, for.

The preposition 'for,' in the sentence He worked for me,' is distinct from the inseparable prefix 'for,' which has both a negative and an emphatic force.

In English, all the Roman Prefixes are inseparable, excepting some special uses of contra, extra, per, and plus. When used as parts of the Latin language, the following Prefixes are treated as inseparable :-in, with a negative or privative meaning, as in the adjective incertus (= uncertain); amb (with its variations), and dis, ne, re, and se.