354 DISQUISITIONS on the 



Ilsf/ fometlmes, both fimply and in compoficion, denotes /tf/"^- 

 riority, plainly from the idea, that the objedt which forms a 

 boundary or circumference to another, mull of courfe exceed it 

 in bulk or greatnefs. 



'Er' «f< voov Cgoruv. LUCIAN, 



" It is beyond the comprehenlion of mortals," — " it is fuch that 

 " it is capable of going round, and confequently exceeds the 

 " comprehenfion of mortals." 



It was obferved, in the remarks upon a^f), that in Latin cir- 

 ca and circiim exprefled the idea of round or round about. Thefs 

 are both nouns, precifely fimilar in their force and meaning to 



Xipo is fuppofed by Linnep to be the fame with «-^o$, and by 

 ScHEiDE to be a part of the adjedive s-afo?, before. The former 

 appears evidently erroneous, the two prepofitions, thougJi fo 

 nearly related in found, being in fadl very different, as we fliall 

 find, both in origin and meaning. The latter idea, however, 

 that vfo is a part of 57^^05 contraded, feems extremely probable. 

 The adjedive -ircc^oc, fignifying properly fore, is ftill in ufe. In 

 fpeech this word, like many others, might fuffer an abbrevia- 

 tion of the firCt fyllable, and be pronounced v-foi; inftead of ■ra.- 

 po;. From this contraded adjedive we have the comparative 

 ■Tf orsgos, //"iV, and the fuperlative x^sraToj, coijtraded into "Tr^uro^, 

 foremojl or firft. Of this adjedive ■s-^of, the prepolition %^o ap- 

 pears to be the dative, fignifying, therefore, with a fubllantive 

 undcrftood as in Other inaances, xht fore part, fore object, or ob- 

 jeB in front ; and as it was aLways^followed by the genitive cafe 

 of the fucceeding noun, and the genitive cafe in Greek has ufu- 

 ■A\j the fame force with the particle o/in Engltih, viz. /pedes or 



kind, 



