872 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters. 



and motlier-wit. Lord and lady both owe tlieir names to the 

 loaf of bread. His name is contracted from loaf-ward, loaf- 

 keeper, and hence defender and dispenser; ladj is contracted 

 from hlaf-doegan which is loaf-kneader, she who kneads the 

 dough. The root of father is traceable in the compound foster- 

 father. Foster is a contraction of foodster, so that father means 

 a feeder. 



The dropping of d in foodster illustrates a linguistic law 

 which explains many obscurities, namely that a lingual or liquid 

 can not stand before the letter s. In accordance with this law 

 the word gospel is formed from good spell by dropping d. In 

 like manner worshijD comes from worthship — to treat as worth or 

 worthy. So we get response from responds, suspense from sus- 

 pends, etc. In fleur-de-lis an 1 is dropped before s, and so hides 

 the derivation of lils from lilium. So the loss of d in necessity 

 hides its origin in ne and cedo, and its self-descriptiveness as the 

 unyielding. 



A descriptive feature of many words comes out in their ety- 

 mology. Soji is one so\vn, as the seed of Abraham; daughter 

 brings back to us the pastoral era, meaning milker, sister is said 

 to be of the same stock as sweet, cousin is shortened from con- 

 sanguineous, that is, co-partnei' in blood, and cousins gennan 

 are those sprung from the same germ, that is, froni one grand- 

 father or grandmother. 



A menial deriving his name from mansion was inferior in 

 name to no other domestic till that name was demeaned by asso- 

 ciation with the adjective mean. On the other hand sergeant, 

 deacon, and minister, which all mean servant, have been dig- 

 nified through association ^xi\h. higher things. The word 

 servant itself has a curious history. When prisoners of war who 

 had usually been slaughtered began to find quarter they were 

 said to be saved, as already stated, and they served. Thus the 

 name servant keeps in mind both their service and their preser- 

 vation. Reserved power is power re-saved. If preserves were 

 not saved beforehand, they could never be served up. 



Marriage names are expressive of things. Its name, handfast, 

 described the joining of hands; nuptials — that is, veiling — 

 brings to view the bride's costume, Milton's ^^saintly veil of 

 maiden white;" hridal — shortened from bride-ale — emphasizes 



