LANGUAGE 



253 



the time being, it keeps it in its place; the prop keeps a 

 thing up for a permanency: every pillar on which a 

 building rests is a prop; support is a general term, and 

 in its most general sense comprehends all the others as 

 species: whatever supports, that is, bears the weight 

 of an object, is a support, whether in a state of motion 

 like a staff, or in a state of rest like a stay or prop. 



To Stain, Soil, Sully, Tarnish. All these terms 

 imply the act of diminishing the brightness of an object, 

 but the term stain denotes something grosser than the 

 other terms, and is applied to inferior objects: things 

 which are not remarkable for purity or brightness may 

 be stained, as hands when stained with blood; nothing 

 is sullied or tarnished but what has some intrinsic value: 

 a fine picture or piece of writing may be easily soiled by 

 a touch of the finger; the finest glass is the soonest 

 tarnished: hence, in the moral application, a man's life 

 may be stained by the commission of some gross immo- 



rality: his honor may be sullied, or his glory tarnished. 

 -i.ttr. Realm. Commonwealth. The ruling idea 

 in the sense and application of the word state is that of 



government in its most abstract sense; affairs of state 

 may either respect the internal regulations of a country, 

 or they may respect the arrangements of different states 

 with each other. The term realm is employed for the 

 nation at large, but confined to such nations as are 

 monarchical and aristocratical ; the term commonwealth 

 refers rather to the aggregate body of men and their 

 possessions, than to the government of a country: it is 

 the business of the minister to consult the interests of 

 the commonwealth. 



To Stir, .>Io\e. We may move in any manner, but 

 to stir is to move so as to disturb the rest and com- 

 posure either of the body or mind. 



Mory, Tale. The story is either an actual fact or 

 something feigned; the tale is always feigned; stories 

 are circulated respecting the accidents and occurrences 

 which happen to persons in the same place; tales of 

 distress are told by many merely to excite compassion. 



Stream, Current, Tide. All rivers are streams, 

 which are more or less gentle according to the nature of 

 the ground through which they pass; the force of the 

 current is very much increased by the confinement of 

 .any water between rocks, or by means of artificial im- 

 pediments: the tide is high or. low. strong or weak, at, 

 different hours of the day; when the tide is high, the 

 current is strongest. 



To Strengthen. Fortify, Invigorate. Whatever 

 adds to the strength, be it in ever so small a degree, 

 strengthens; exercise strengthens either body or mind: 

 whatever gives strength for a particular emergence for- 

 tifies; religion fortifies the mind against adversity; what- 

 ever adds to the strength, so as to give a positive degree 

 of strength, invigorates; morning exercise in fine weather 

 invigorates. 



Mm i. > \ere. He who has authority over others 

 must be strict in enforcing obedience, in keeping good 

 order, and a proper attention to their duties; but it i.s 

 possible to be very severe in punishing those who are 

 under us, and yet very lax in all matters that our duty 

 demands of us. 



M rife, < ..mention. Strife is mostly used for verbal 

 strife, where each party strives against the other by 

 the use ot contumelious or provoking expressions; con- 

 tention is u*ed for an angry striving with others, either 

 in respect to matters of opinion or matters of claim, in 

 which each party seeks to get the better of the other. 



Successive, \li< rri.itr. The successive may be 

 -il or intentional; the alternate is always inten- 

 tional; it may rain for three successive days, or a fair 

 may be held for three successive days: trees are placed 

 >cs in alternate order, when every other tree is 

 of the same size and kind. 



I.. Surround, l.n. .mp;iss. |-:n \iron. I'm-lnle. 

 We may surround an object by standing at certain dis- 

 tances all round it; in this manner a person may be 

 surrounded by other persona; a garden is surrounded 

 by a wall. To encompass is to surround in the latter 

 sense, and applies to object* of a great or n 



the earth is encompassed by the air. To sur- 

 round is to go round an object of any form, whether 

 square or circular, long or short: but to environ and 

 < le carry with them the idea of forming a circle 

 in object; thus a town or a valley may be envi- 

 v hills, a basin of water may be 

 trees, or the head may be encircled by a wreath of 

 fewen. 



v\ inp.iiiiv . < o 111 passion. Com ml Herat Ion. <n- 

 .4otonce. Sympathy has the literal meaning of fellow- 

 feeling, that is, a kindred or like feeling, or feeling in 

 company with another; compassion. < 

 dolrnee signify a like suffering, or a suffering in company; 

 sympathy preserves its original meaning in its applica- 



tion. for we laugh or cry by sympathy. Compassion is 

 altogether a moral feeling, which makes iis enter into the 

 distresses of others: we may. therefore, sympathize with 

 others, without essentially serving them; but. if we feel 

 compassion, we naturally turn our thoughts toward 

 relieving them. Commiseration is awakened toward 

 those who are in an abject state of misery; condolence 

 supposes an entire equality, and is often produced by 

 some common calamity. 



Taste, Genius. Taste seems to designate the capac- 

 ity to derive pleasure from an object ; genius designates 

 the power we have for accomplishing any object. 



To Tease, Vex, Taunt, Tantalize, Torment. To 

 tease is applied to that which is most trifling; torment 

 to that which is most serious. We are teased by a fly 

 that buzzes in our ears; we are vexed by the careless- 

 ness and stupidity of our servants; we are taunted by 

 the sarcasms of others; we are tantalized by the fair 

 prospects which only present themselves to disappear 

 again; we are tormented by the importunities of trouble- 

 some beggars. 



Tenacious. Pertinacious. To be tenacious is to 

 hold a thing close, to let it go with reluctance: to be per- 

 tinacious is to hold it out in spite of what can be advanced 

 against it. A man of a tenacious temper insists on trifles 

 that are supposed to affect his importance; a perti- 

 nacious temper insists on everything which is apt to 

 affect his opinions. 



Tenet, Position. The tenet is the opinion which we 

 hold in our minds; the position is that which we lay 

 down for others. Our tenets may be hurtful, our posi- 

 tions false. 



Thankfulness, Gratitude. Our thankfulness is 

 measured by the number of our words; our gratitude 

 is measured by the nature of our actions. A person 

 appears very thankful at the time who afterward proves 

 very ungrateful. 



Thick, Dense. We speak of thick in regard to hard 

 or soft bodies, as a thick board or thick cotton; solid or 

 liquid, as a thick cheese or thick milk: but the term 

 dense mostly in regard to the air in its various forms, as 

 a dense air. 



To Think, Suppose, Imagine, Believe, Deem. 

 We think a thing right or wrong; we suppose it to be 

 true or false; we imagine it to be real or unreal. In 

 regard to moral points, in which case the word deem 

 may be compared with the others, to think is a conclu- 

 sion drawn from certain premises. I think that a man has 

 acted wrong: to suppose is to take up an idea arbitrarily 

 or at pleasure; to imagine is to take up an idea by acci- 

 dent, or without any connection with the truth or reality; 

 to deem is to form a conclusion; things are deemed hurt- 

 ful or otherwise in consequence of observation ; we think 

 as the thing strikes us at the time; we believe from a 

 settled deduction. 



Threat. Menace. We may be threatened with either 

 small or great evils ; but we are menaced only with great 

 evils. 



Timely, Seasonable. The former signifies within 

 the time, that is. before the time is past; the latter ac- 

 cording to the season, or what the season requires. A 

 timely notice prevents that which would otherwise hap- 

 pen; a seasonable hint seldom fails of its effect because 

 it is seasonable. 



Torment, Torture. Torture is an excess of torment. 

 We may be tormented by a variety of indirect means; 

 but we are mostly said to be tortured by the direct means 

 of the rack, or similar instrument. 



To Transfigure, Transform, Metamorphose. 

 Transfigure is to make to pass over into another figure; 

 transform and metamorphose is to put into another form: 

 the former being said only of spiritual beings, and partic- 

 ularly in reference to our Saviour: the other two terms 

 being applied to that which has a corporeal form. Trmns- 

 11 is common! v applied to that which changes 

 its outward form; in this manner a harlequin transforms 

 himself into all kinds of shapes and likenesses. Meta- 

 morphosis is applied to the form internal as well as exter- 

 nal, that is. to the whole nature. 



Trembling. Tremor. Trepidation. Trembling ex- 

 presses any degree of involuntary shaking of the frame, 

 from the affection either of the body or the mind; cold, 

 nervous affections, fear, and the like, are the ordinary 

 causes of trembling; tremor is a slight degree of trem- 

 bling, which arises mostly from a mental affection; when 

 the spirits are agitated, the mind is thrown into a tremor 

 by any trtthm: * more violent than 



either of the two, and springs from the defective state of 

 the mind; it shows itself in the action, or the different 

 movements of the body, rather than in the body. 



Trouble. iMsinrii. Molest. Trouble is the most 

 ..neral in its application; we may be troubled by the 

 want of a thing, or troubled by that which is unsuitable; 



