in the Composition of Nouns and Adjectives. 85 



made in moist ground by the nails of hares, foxes, &c. ; also a 

 small point, " puncto loci aut temporis *." 



Nothing can be a stronger proof of the deplorable state in 

 which the science of etymology has so long continued, than that 

 the absurd explanation of this word, first I believe proposed by 

 Vossius, should still be retained in our best dictionaries : " For- 

 merly not only men, but also women, wore long garments, hence 

 the traces not only of their feet, but also of their dress, were 

 left by those who walked. This was the reason why, although 

 the feet made the deepest impression, the name was nevertheless 

 derived from the garment (vestis) -j\" Becmanus, quoted by 

 Vossius, proposed the true etymology, from <rrity, but, according 

 to the radical error introduced by Gellius, wished to assign an 

 intensive force to ve. Vestigium, as well as the verbs vestigo and 

 investigo, was borrowed from the hunter's vocabulary, from which 

 many words in every language with which I am acquainted have 

 been derived. In the early ages of every nation, much of the 

 hunter's success depends upon his skill in discovering the small 

 punctures made in moist places (not, however, admitting the com- 

 pression of the ball of the foot) by the toe-nails of his game. To 

 those versed in field sports, I need not say more ; but the unini- 

 tiated should be informed, that such a trace is still called a prick, 

 and the process by which a skilful eye is enabled to recognize the 

 path of a hare from such small punctures is still called pricking. 

 Nor would I ascribe the origin of the name of the Yeomen Prickers 

 connected with the king's hunting establishment to any other 

 source than this, although I am aware that a rider in old English 



* 27<£a>, <r1<|s>, <fltypx, stimulus. The verb stigo was itself Latin, as may be seen in 

 the compound instigo, to goad on, from which simple verb stigium was immediately- 

 formed. The word is found in all the Celtic and Teutonic dialects, in the sense of 

 the English to stick, i. e. to stab or puncture, Germ, stechen, Cimbric, ysthgaw, the 

 verb ; stick, Germ, the puncture, Anglo-Saxon stice, &c. 



•f Vossius, Etym. under the word. 



