338 DISQUISITIONS on the 



Tn the prepofition we are now confidering, though affording one 

 of the beft illuftrations of Dr Moor's ideas, the primitive fenfe 

 muft be fought for, not according to his hypothefis, but by a 

 fair examination of its root and cognates. 



The root of Wi appears to lie in the verb \vu, a verb occurring 

 in different paffages of the earlier Greek writers, in its fimple 

 form, and of pretty general ufe in a compound ftate. 'Et« is 

 rendered by Stephens to work, to handle, to follow j fometimes 

 to hurt, and fometimes to warm ; and frequently this verb is ufed 

 by Homer to exprefs rubbing, furbijhing, and fcouring. All thefe 

 different fenfes are, I think, eafily reducible to the idea of preffmg 

 or clofe touching, which may therefore be taken as the radical 

 fenfe of lira. 'E^ny, the root, having this radical meaning, its 

 cognate and derivative eV/, muft exprefs the fame idea ; and as 

 Wi appears to be a mutilated verbal adjective, with its fubftan- 

 tive underftood, it is properly and literally object pre/fed, adhered 

 to y or object touched clofely j and this fignification it retains whe- 

 ther applied to place, time, or relation. 



i. As applied to place. 



'H crCpouoot, xvXtvforcu Wi Trig rguirifyt, " the ball rolls upon the 

 " table," — " the ball rolls, — object preffed by it, or adhered to 

 t{ in fo doing, — the table." 'O "Kidot mitru Wi rr\v yqv, " the ftone 

 " falls upon the ground," — " the ftone falls, — object preffed or 

 " adhered to by its fall, — the ground." 



'OXztrco ^s KoXioig eiri vqvtriv Ay&im. Homer. 



" to deftroy many of the Greeks at or befide the fhips," — " to 

 " deftroy many, — place or objects clofe touched in doing fo, — 

 " the lhips." Ka,0iZ ) &&-ui Wi rqv Wtctv, " to fit down at or befide the 

 V hearth," — " to fit down, — place touched, or clofely adhered to 

 v in fitting, — the hearth." JLvd£u eV eidSuv eadeitru, Euclid), 

 " a ftraight line ftanding upon a ftraight line," — "-a ftraight 



" line 



