v'K .r:m 



CVCLO P MDIA: 



v.or- 



OR, A NEW 



UNIVERSAL DICTIONARY 



OF 



ARTS and SCIENCES. 



TA confonant, and the nineteenth letter in the alpha- 

 > bet ; the found of which is formed by a ftrong 

 ■expulfion of the breath through the mouth, upon a fudden 

 drawing back of the tongue from the fore part of the palate, 

 with the lips at the fame time open. 



The T, at the beginning and end of words, has always 

 the fame found, nearly refembling that of D, for which 

 reafon they are often put for each other ; and QuinAilian 

 even rallies thofe who made any fcruple of writing the one 

 .indifferently for the other : as at for ad. Jet iot fid, haul for 

 haud, &c. 



The cuftomary found of T is that which occurs in the 

 words take, temptation ; but before an ;', when followed by a 

 vowel, it has the found of an obfcure s, as nation, falvation, 

 except when s precedes /, as Chriflian ; and in derivatives 

 from y, as mighty, migiitit>: 



The T is one of the five confonants which the abbot de 

 Dangeau calls palatal : thefe five are D, T, G, K, and A'^; 

 the four firft of which have the fame relation to each other, 

 as the labials B-P and F-F have ; D, for inftance, having 

 the fame relation to T, that B has to P, and V to F. 



The T, the fame author obferves, is a letter of a ftrong 

 found ; fo that a feeble one cannot be heard before it. 

 Hence, to form the fupine of rego, the T of turn changes 

 the g, and ftrengthens it to the found of a c, fo that we fay 

 reBum ; as in the preterperfeft tenfe rext, which we pro- 

 nounce reckfi. 



Th has two founds : the one foft, as thus ; the other hard, 

 as thing. The found is foft in thefe words, then, thence, 

 there, with their derivatives and compounds, that, thefi, &c. ; 

 and in all words between two vowels, za fiithtr ; and be- 

 tween r and a vowel, as burthen. In other words it is hard, 

 as thich, thunder. Where it is foftened at the end of a word, 

 an e filent muft be added, as breath, breathe. Johnfcn. 

 Vol. XXXV. 



T is ufed as an abbreviature on ancient monuments, &c. 

 for Titus, Titius, and Tullius. 



T, among the Ancients, was ufed as a numeral letter, fig- 

 nifying i6o, according to the verfe, 



" T quoque centenos & fexaginta tenebit." 



When a dafh was at the top, thus, T, it fignified 1 6© 

 thoufand. 



T', with a kind of acute accent over it, denoted among 

 the Greeks 300 ; and if the accent was below it, thus Tj, 

 it denoted 300,000. The Q of the Hebrews fignified 9 ; 



and with two points fixed horizontally over it, thus, ^, it 

 fignified 9000. 



Sometimes an acute accent over this, or any one of the 

 firft nine letters, multiplies its value by a thoufand. 



We fhall here obferve, that the number 15 (hould be 

 reprefented by p', i. e. 10 and 5 ; but, becaufe thefe 

 letters conftitute part of the word nin'i Jehovah, the 

 letters IJ^, i.e. 9 and 6, reprefent 15, to prevent, as the 

 Jews allege, the profanation of the peculiar name of God. 

 For the fame reafon, 1£3, i.e. 9 and 7, are ufed inftead of 

 y, i.e. 10 and 6, to exprefs 16. 



T, on the French coins, denotes thofe that were llruck 

 at Nantes. 



When the Roman tribunes approved of the decrees of the 

 fenate, they teftified their confent by fubfcribing a T. 



T, in Mufic, is the initial of tenor, vocal and inftru- 

 mental ; of tacet, for filence : as adagio tacet, when a per- 

 former is to reft during the whole movement. In concertos 

 and fymphonies, t is the initial of tutti, the whole band, after 

 a folo part. It alfo frequently ftands for trillo, or ft., a 

 (hake. 



T is alfo a mark or brand, with which by ftat. 4 Hen. VII. 



every perfon convifted of felony, fave murder, and admitted 



B to 



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