406 OBSERVATIONS ON THE 



As few objects of our knowledge have a natural connection 

 with such sounds as the human voice can imitate, the choice 

 of the respective oral signs appropriated to the expression 

 of our different ideas, is for the most part entirely arbitrary. 

 Hence the origin of the first invented words must have been 

 regulated by such slight and momentary views, that their his- 

 tory was lost before they received an established application. 

 Words strictly original, however, are probably few. The 

 greater part are derived from others previously existing, which 

 receive such modifications as are sufficient to distinguish the 

 various shades of their application. In coining new words, 

 mankind have always a wish to employ materials to which 

 some sort of meaning was previously attached. 



Under the operation of this law, there is one very extensive 

 feature of etymology, which we are obliged to Mr Tooke for 

 pointing out more fully than was done by his predecessors, and 

 which he seems inclined to regard as universal, — that nouns, or 

 the names of objects, are derived from Verbs. To this we 

 may subjoin, that the verbs from which they are derived signi- 

 fy some sort of action, and, as has been shown, exist in the 

 simplest form in the Imperative. 



This posicion is illustrated in the Diversions of Purley y by a 

 very copious induction. Mr Tooke shows that many English 

 nouns, which we had been in the habit of considering as origi- 

 nal words, are derived from verbs. A " passage" receives its 

 name from the verb " pass ;" a " gate" from the verb " go ;" a 

 " road" from the verb " ride." " Spot," " spout," and " spite," 

 are from the verb " spit." " Snout" and " snot" are things 

 " snited." " Head," from the verb " heave," means some- 

 thing " heaved" or elevated above the neighbouring objects to 

 which it is referred. " Heaven," from the same verb, means 

 the same thing. A " flood" is something that has " flowed." 

 " Bread" receives its name from the verb to " bray" or 



*' bruise," 



