Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1871 edition. Excerpt: ... He often alludes to its radical part ark in his etymology of Konig. Littre: Then you sometimes try, I suppose, to make discoveries in language by the use of this fellow's principles? Miiller: I do so every day. Even this morning I have made two grand discoveries, etymologies of which Kavanagh himself would be proud. Littre: And by his system? Miiller: Even so. Regnier: And you could have never made them without his principles, eh? Muller: Never; nor could any one else. Messrs. Littre and Regnier: Let us hear them. Miiller: Not yet; some other time. Regnier, let us have your dream. Regnier: No; give us your etymologies first, and you shall have my dream afterwards. Muller: Well, be it so. On entering a coffee-house this morning to read the papers, the first I happened to cast my eyes on was the one styled the Sport, and not knowing the etymology of this word, I applied Kavanagh's well-known rule, which says that the I is always understood with the 0 when it is not expressed. I therefore supplied the I, which brought sport equal to spoirt, and this, from a vowel being mostly always due between two consonants, gave spoirit. And what is spoirit but spirit, the 0 having been dropped? In Latin spoiritus must have therefore preceded spirilus. What is now, let me ask, a man of sport? He is a man of spirit. But what is the meaning of spirit? It means wind, breath, and hence life. And when in French you say of a man qu'il a vScu, what do you understand? A man who has enjoyed life, a man who has had much sport in his time. Sport is therefore liveliness, and liveliness is life. Hence to be lively is to be full of life, and consequently full of spirits or sport. There is an etymology for you! Littre: Yes, it is not bad; but it is no way difficult;...
