350 XOMFA'CLATURE. . 232. 



little employed in Mineralogy, particularly of late years, 

 when the science itself has been more particularly cultivat- 

 ed and enriched, that it would be very difficult to produce 

 a Latin systematic nomenclature, without introducing al- 

 most endless innovations. This has been the reason why, 

 in the present first attempt at constructing a systematic no- 

 menclature, the German language has been made use of, to 

 the spirit of which the English language in this respect 

 exactly corresponds. In these two languages, however, 

 the successive order of the words is exactly contrary to 

 that required in the Latin language. In the English no- 

 menclature, therefore, the highest idea will be expressed 

 by the last word, while the lowest idea is indicated in the 

 first word. 



That word, with which we designate a single object, or a 

 single species, without regard to its genus, or a single genus 

 independently from its connexion with others in one and 

 the same order, &c., is termed its Name. If a name be re- 

 stricted by means of an adjective, it is transformed into a 

 Denomination. A name consisting of a single word, is a 

 simple name ; one consisting of two words, is a compound 

 name. Simple names can never express the connexion of 

 those bodies to which they are given ; this may, however, 

 be effected by compound names, or by denominations. 

 Hence the mere simple names are of no use in a systema- 

 tic nomenclature ; but it will require compound names or 

 denominations, or even both of them. The simple name 

 designates the highest idea occurring in the nomenclature, 

 and inversely, this idea must always be expressed by a 

 simple name. The compound name designates a lower de- 

 gree, the denomination the lowest degree of the ideas ex- 

 pressed by the systematic nomenclature. Agreeably to the 

 observation in . 234., it may be considered as a rule of 

 the systematic nomenclature in general, that compound 

 names, in the event of their being applied, should never 

 contain more than two words, and that a denomination 

 should never admit of more than one adjective. 



