152 ON THE ETYMOLOGY, &C. 



one of the cradles from which the species took their departure, 

 to people the various regions of the earth. 



5. Peaked, sharp, acuminated. I do not find this word 

 (which is much in use among my countrymen) in Johnson, 

 who, however, gives us the substantive Peak, <md the verb to 

 Peak. You will observe, that Johnson is not satisfied with his 

 own account of the verb. " We say (these are his words) a 

 " withered man has a sharp face ; Falstaff dying, is said to have 

 "a nose as sharp as a pen: from this observation, a sickly man 

 " is said to peak or grow acuminated, from pique.''' We say 

 (in the United-States) of a person whose face is contracted by 

 sickness, he looks peaked. 



Pakd in the language of the Indians of Moultan residing 

 at Astrachan, and Pukcctoo in that of the Andieskie residing 

 on Mount-Caucasus, signify sharp. 



6. Sharp, keen, piercing, not obtuse, &c. From the Saxon 

 and the Dutch. — Johnson. You may smile, but I will ven- 

 ture to inform you, that Scliarp is an axe or hatchet, in the lan- 

 guage of a tribe of the Vouguls. 



7. Tiny; little, small, puny. Tint,Tynd, Danish.— John- 

 son, who says it is a burlesque word. Why so ? Teena, or Tina, 

 signifies small, or little in the dialects of two tribes of the 

 Lesghintzi, or Lesghis, who inhabit Mount-Caucasus. The 

 dialects of the Lesghis are arranged by Professor Pallas imme- 

 diately before the Tchiochonski and other Finnic languages. 

 There are many Lesghis words, nearly pure, in the languages 

 of the Americans. 



8. Big, large, proud, swelling, great in spirit, lofty, brave. 

 " This word (Johnson observes) is of uncertain or unknown 

 etymology." Both Junius and Skinner have endeavoured to ar- 

 rive at some certainty on die subject. But their researches, in this 

 instance, have been extremely futile. I tread on ticklish ground. 

 In the language of the Toungusians who inhabit the eastern 

 coast of the sea of Baikal, Biga is God. In the dialect of other 

 Toungusians, and in the language of the Tschapogirri, who in- 

 habit the eastern bank of the river Jenisea, the word is Buga. 

 The word, Bog, which signifies God in the language of the 

 Russians, Poles, and other Slavonic nations, is nearly allied 



