132 



BIOLOGICAL LECTURES. 



by italics and to the ear by the pronunciation now commonly 

 adopted for Latin words. ^ 



Hippocamp. — For this, as the Angloparonym of hippocam- 

 pus, there are many precedents, notably the following: ante- 

 penult, digit, impediment, diagram, telegram (which was 

 strenuously objected to when first introduced), epicarp, and 

 pericarp. 



Infundibiilnm. — If the part so designated were frequently 

 mentioned it is probable that either a shorter word would be 

 found or the present name be paronymized as infiuidibiiley 

 after the analogy of reticule, diverticle, etc. The same may be 

 said of moiiticulns and monticule. 



Mesencephalon. — By itself and used occasionally, the Latin 

 form is certainly euphonious and unobjectionable; but in any 

 discussion of the segmental constitution of the brain, whether 

 written or spoken, the frequent recurrence of the obtrusively 

 Latin termination is pedantic and burdensome. Its omission 

 is warranted by words like angel. 



Operciihim and Opercle. — The Latin tetrasyllable is not 

 commonly oppressive, but the compounds pi'eoperculjnn, etc., 

 might well become so. The case is comparable with that of 

 nltima; with it, and even With. pen?iltima, the last two syllables 

 are endured; but when two more syllables are added at one 

 end, then two are dropped from the other, leaving afitepenult 

 of only moderate length. Preopercle, subopercle, dsvdi postopercle 

 are already applied to analogous parts of the fish's head, but 

 the chance of misapprehension is very slight. 



Praecnnciis. — Here the difference between the Latin ante- 

 cedent and the Angloparonym consists in the replacement of 

 the ae by e, as in preposition, pretext, preface, etc. 



Tentorinm. — By analogy with ovary, aviary, granary, labor- 

 atory, etc., the Angloparonym would be tcntory, and this word 

 has been used to designate the awning of a tent. But tentorium 

 is unobjectionable and likely to be retained as an unchanged 

 paronym. 



1 The Angloparonyms of Latin words, even when orthographically unmodified, 

 are English by adoption, and are to be so pronounced ; to pronounce claustrum, 

 dozvstroovi in an English sentence would be as affected as to say mamorarndoom. 

 As an English word oblongata has the first a as in mate. 



