ON ERRATA RECEPTA. 3T 



scaptein. To mine (tlie military sense of this word is the primary 

 Ooe) is the Italian minare, whence mineral. Minare gave rise rather 

 curiously to menare (French mener), to conduct or lead, (whence mien 

 and demeanour). Drovers are wont to work their herds along through 

 the streets and highways chiefly by threats (mince). — A casemate ia 

 the Italian casa-matta, of whicii the origin is disputed, some contend- 

 ing for casa matta, a hastily constructed hut ; others for the Greek 

 ehasmata. Platoon, through the French pelofon, a ball, and figura- 

 tively a small detachment of soldiers, — whence pellet and even pelf 

 — has its rise in the Italian pilotta, which is the late Latin pilotellus* 

 a dim. ofpila a hall. Duel is duello ; and like the Italian, by a mis- 

 taken reference to duo, has acquired the notion of " a combat between 

 two." It is simply duellum, the archaic form of bellum, as duis for 

 his. Carbine is the Italian carahina, transformed from calabrino, 

 deduced from, a late Latin word cadabula, conjectured to be the 

 Greek catabol-e, a machine for hurling stones. Firearms, in some 

 instances, retained the names of the engines of war in use before the 

 application of gunpowder to military purposes. — Salet a helmet, a^ 

 well as salade, the French for the same, is properly the Italian celata, 

 which is the Latin caelata, sc. cassis, i.e. a helmet ornamented with 

 figures in relief. Alarm and alert are the Italian military cries all 

 or-7we to arms ! and «/^-er-ffl up ! stand erect! (erigere). To escort 

 is scorgere, i.e. the Latin ex-corrigere to conduct forth. To scamper 

 is the Italian scampare, i.e. Latin ex-campare, to quit the field. 

 Tourney and tournament are torneo and torneamento, and have refer- 

 ence to the equestrian evolutions to be seen at such spectacles. — Here 

 ambassador may be noticed. "We have adopted almost without 

 change the grand Italian ambasciadore. This is (first) from the late 

 Latin ambaxia, which (secondly) appears to come from the Teutonic 

 word ambactus used by Csesar (deBell. Gal. 6. 15.) for vassal or ser- 

 vant. Webster, in endeavouring to force us to spell it with an e, ia, 

 as 80 often, wrong. 



In relation to money, we have finance itself, Italian finanza, that 

 which puts & finis to a transaction by paying a stipulated sum. A 

 eimilar idea is conveyed hj pay. It is in Italian pagare, that is to 

 Bay, pacare to establish peace by the delivery of a sum of money. 

 Quittance, eyen, is derived from cheto, which is properly quieto, Latin 

 quietus. Aclieter to buy, in French, is the Italian acchatare, whicli 

 is the Latin ad captare, to take to oneself, to appropriate by the pay- 

 ment of a price. To bargain is Italian bargagnare, for which the late 



