318 DR DONALDSON, ON THE ORIGIN AND 



before a liquid in Greek, becomes g in Latin, as in 'AKpa-yai, Kv'i^<k, Kcokto-o's, Kpa^aro?, 

 Kpviioeii, ilpoKvt], compared with Agrigmtum, Gnidus, Gnossus, grabatus, Grumentum, Progne ; 

 and I believe that the Greek Kpovo} will furnish us with a connecting link for all the meanings 

 of the compound now before us. For Kpovo) means " to dash one thing against another," 

 especially for the purpose of making a shrill ringing noise. Thus we have Kpovew rrju dvpav, 

 " to knock at the door," Kpoveiv -xfipm "to clap the hands together," Kpoveiv Kiddpav "to 

 strike the lyre," Kpoveiv tos dcririSw ttjoos ra Sopara " to clash the shields against the spears," 

 and above all Kpoveiv Kepanov " to strike an earthen vessel, in order to test its soundness," 

 as in Plat. Thecetet. p. 179 d.: OKeitTeov rriv (bepoimevrjv ovaiav iiuKpovovra e'lre vyie^ eire 

 (TaOpov (pBeyyerai. Hence Kpoveiv signifies generally to examine, test, try, prove, like 6X67- 

 ■)(€tv and SoKifxdi^a), as in Plat. Hippias Major, p. SOl b : xa iiev 6\a twv rrpuytkaTwv ov 

 (TKoireis, Kpov€T6 oe airoXa/xpavovTes to koXov koi eKoaTov twv ovtwv ev tois Xcyois 

 KUTaTenvovTes- 



It will not be difficult to show that these usages of Kpovw contain the clue to the primary 

 and proper meaning ofarguo and argutus, compared with congruo and ingruo. For congruo 

 means " to dash or clash together," like o-vyKpovw. Thus Seneca Qiicest. Nat. vii. 9: "Zenon 

 congruere judicat Stellas et radios inter se committere;" Valerius Flaccus vi. 58 : "linguisque 

 adversus utrinque congruit et tereti serpens dat vulnera gemmae." Similarly ingruo means "to 

 dash down upon something," like eTriCKtjirTU). Thus Vergil, ^neid. xii. 284 : "ferreus ingruit 

 imber." Accordingly, arguo is irpoaKpovm, that is, " to knock against something" especially 

 for the purpose of making it ring or testing its soundness; and argutus means "made to ring;" 

 hence, "making a distinct, shrill noise," "loud," "clear-sounding," "significant," "expressive," 

 or, with reference to the secondary and most common meaning of its verb, argutus signifies, 

 " brought to the proof," " thoroughly tested, sound, accurate, and to be depended on." That 

 these connected meanings are really borne by arguo and its participle may be shown by a 

 selection of examples. As distinguished from accuso, which means " to bring a formal accu- 

 sation " (Kartjyopu)), arguo denotes " to put a thing to the test," " to examine and prove it " 

 (Kpoviv, e\eyx<») • This is clear from the passages in which the two words appear together, as 

 in Cicero pro Rose. Amer. c. 41 : " servos ipsos neque accuso, neque arguo ;" pro Ligar. 4, § 10: 

 " arguis fatentem — non est satis — accusas eum." Hence such phrases as : " degeneres animos 

 timor arguit" (Vergil, ^n. iv. 13), "fear brings to the test, i.e. betrays, ignoble minds," and: 

 " apparet virtus arguiturque malis " (Ovid, Trist. iv. 3, 80), " virtue is made plain and tested 

 by misfortunes." The primary meaning of argutus, and therefore of arguo, is best seen in 

 those phrases where it signifies "ringing," "making a shrill, clear, and loud noise," as argu- 

 tiim forum, " the noisy forum," argutum ces, " a shrill-sounding blade," argutce chordce, " the 

 sounding strings" (cf. Kpoveiv KiOapav), argutice vallis, " the clear-ringing echoes of the valley " 

 {ColumeUa,iu.9,6, who adds, "quas Grseci »;t^oi/s vocant"), and the like. By a natural transition, 

 we have such usages as: "oculi nimis arguti, quemadmodum animo afFecti simus, loquuntur " 

 (Cicero, Leg. i. 9), "expressive, speaking eyes declare the feelings of our minds;" conversely, 

 "manus autem minus arguta, digitis subsequens verba, non exprimens" (Id. de Orat. iii. 59), 

 " the hand less significant, following the words with its gesture, not expressing them ;" argutus 

 sententiis (Id. de clar. orat. 17), "expressive in his sentiments;" and in opposition to acutvs, 



