Manchester Memoirs, Vol. Ixv. (192 1), No. 6 



The history of a few words, given below, illustrates 

 these points. By looking through the Oxford Dictionary 

 anyone can find hundreds of words that are just as interest- 

 ing : in fact, if we take at random any word that is spelt to-day 

 in the illogical manner, and look up its history, we shall find 

 that its present spelling cannot be upheld from an etymological 

 point of view. 



In the following list of words the figures 11, 12, etc., 

 represent the nth and 12th century. After the number 20 

 I have added the spelling proposed by the Simplified Spelling 

 Society. 





Phlegm 



Myrrh 



Debt 



Old French 



Arab. 



13-4 dete 



flemme 



murr 



13-6 dette 



Mid. Eng. 



Greek 



14-6 dett 



fleeme 



[xuppa 



det 



fleume 



1 1 myrra 



deytte 



fleme 



1 1-4 murre 



15-7 debte 



ltd. 



14-6 mir 



17- debt 



flemma 



15-6 myrr 



"Artificially spelt 



Greek 



15-7 myrhhe 



'debt' because of Lat. 



cpXsY^a 



17 myrhh 



'debita' since 16th 



20 flem. 



Ital. and Spanish 



century." 





murra 



20 det 





20 mur 





Doubt 



Ache 



Bruise 



13-4 dut(e 



1 1 acan 



1 1 brysan 



14 dote 



12-4 aken, eken 



13-5 brisen 



13-6 doute 



13-9 ake 



13-6 brise 



14-6 dowt(e 



18-9 ache 



13-7 bruse 



dou^te 



The verb is historically 



14-6 broose, brose 



dought(e 



'ake' and the noun 



bryse 



dowght 



'ache' (ch soft), cf. 



16-7 bruze 



14-7 dout 



'bake,' 'batch.' 



17-9 bruise 



15- doubt 



20 aik 



bruize 



15-6 doubte, dowbt 





20 brooz 



''Artificially spelt 







'doubt' after Lat. 







'dubitare' since 16th 







century. ,} 







20 dout 







