528 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



use. For example, the Abipones of the Paraguay region express 

 4 by "toes of an ostrich," and 5 by " neenhalek," a five-colored, 

 spotted hide. Nevertheless, some attempts have been made to 

 discover these etymologies. 



Below is given a list which includes, besides those for 3 

 and 4, some etymologies that have been suggested for the 

 higher numerals. I quote from the work of Gow already referred 

 to, page 3, footnote: "The common derivations, taken chiefly 

 from Bopp, are set out in Morris's Historical Outlines of English 

 Accidence, page 110, note. The following only need be cited : 



" Three = ' what goes beyond ' (root tri, tar, to go beyond). 



" Four (quattuor) = ' and three ' i. e., 1 and 3. 



" Five = ' that which comes after ' (four), Sk. pashchdt = after. 



"Six; Sk. shash, is probably a compound of two and four. 



" Seven = ' that which follows ' (six). 



" Eight, Sk. Ashtdn = 1 + and + 3. 



" Nine = new = that which conies after 8 and begins a new 

 quartette. 



Ten two and eight." 



In commenting on these etymologies Gow says (pages 3 and 

 4) : " When they say that panlcan and saptan, ' five ' and ' seven/ 

 mean ' following/ because they follow ' four ' and ' six ' respect- 

 ively, they suggest no reason why any other numeral above 1 

 should not have been called by either or both of these names ; so 

 when they say that navan, ' nine/ means new (ve'os, etc.) because it 

 begins a new quartette, they assume a primeval quaternary 

 notation, and do not explain why ' five ' was not called navan ; so, 

 again, when they say navan means ' last' (ve'aros, etc.) because it is 

 the last of the units, they evidently speak from the point of view 

 of an arithmetician who has learned to use written symbols." 

 The objections offered by Mr. Gow to these etymologies seem to 

 me to be quite valid, with the exception of the last. It is not at 

 all uncommon to find "9" expressed by some such phrase as 

 " approaching completion," the fingers forming the natural scale, 

 and serving the purpose of written numerals. The savage would 

 be therefore in this respect in the position of an " arithmetician 

 who has learned to use written symbols." In the Jiviro scale 9 

 is "hands next to complete" (Conant, page 61) ; in the Ewe scale 

 it is "parting with the hands" (ibid., page 92), and in the Chippe- 

 way dialect the same numeral is shangosswoy, which is akin to 

 chagissi, "used up" (ibid., page 162). 



The derivations of the last six of the first ten numerals sug- 

 gested by Gow are as follows : " Their original names appear to 

 have been pankan or kankan (5), ksvaks or ksvaksva (6), saptan 

 (7), aktan (8), navan (9), and dakan or dvakan (10). Some allu- 

 sion to finger-counting may well underlie these words. Ever 



