1870.] Contributions towards Vernacular Lexicography. 149 



In the following the original meaning has been lost. Thus 

 TTC^*t literally means 'information,' and its present meaning is 

 a kind of sweetmeat, a confection of chhdna, which is always 

 carried by persons sent to enquire after the health of friends and 

 relations residing at a distance. Similarly, the word W^. meant to 

 enquire, but it now means ' presents of sweetmeats, fruits, clothes, 

 &c, made to friends or relatives.' 



Amongst five brothers, the first is designated 3"\5, meaning eldest, 

 the second c^rif literally intermediate, the third (WW (is it a derivation 

 from the Persian sM/wm=third ?). The fourth is ST, evidently derived 

 from ^3"= new, and the last c^TT?. It is interesting to notice how 

 the word ^ came to be applied to the fourth of a group consisting 

 of more than four members. 



The Sanscrit word *ri> as well as its two derivatives *rft, "5T\51 

 are in use in Bengali, but they indicate three distinct objects. The 

 "5n> , the original Sanscrit word, is applied to 7 the old form of the water- 

 pot now in use, only for religious purposes. "STfft is a metal water-pot 

 smaller than the "Wl, andSH#t, C^Tl>1, ^T«"Sn5l. ^1^1%, C^C<Tl, and 

 ^TTjC^TI are differently formed water-pots. £"5T^t is derived from 

 T^5T to kiss, to drink with the lips or rather to sip, £3>\ff a pe- 

 culiar sound used for quieting horses by drawing air through tightly 

 closed lips. The infinitive issr^fiR is evidently a contraction of 

 TpT^it, though some by a slight modification in spelling make it 

 lpr<si1, and have tried to derive it from 5T*r?T, and the proverb rfc\5C^ 

 l|src?r5TvS3l being misunderstood has caused the idea. 3lT>C*Tl comes 

 from tost spherical, the shape of the pot. ^TSff^ appears to be the 

 oldest among these, and this form of a pot is out of fashion. It 

 means sweetened, and the brim of the vessel being turned into a 

 lip, it sweetens as it were the liquid drawn from it. f*Tc^ and C^tT^I 

 (c*J1^) both literally mean pieces of stone, their present application, 

 however, is to a set of grinding apparatus, the slab of stone is f*T5F 

 and the grinding roller C^tSl. ®f$1 again, a derivation of ^ a ma- 

 chine, is a pair of circular grinding stones. 



^fsfft and J|T> are from ^"5<f1" and \§fa^ respectively, meaning 

 made by one's own hands, and the offals of one's dish. Boiled rice 

 is therefore ^iSfvfT, and a remnant of a piece of bread after a part of it 

 has been eaten is j\^ (^1 in Hindi). 



