1837-] 



Languages and Nations. 



141 



The English word, pinch, i. e. 1st, what can be (or is) taken with the 

 five fingers ; 2d, a squeeze with the (five) fingers, comes evidently from 

 the Sanscrit and Persian word, panj ; and if this is granted, it cannot 

 he so very improbable, that also the word, bunch, i. e. a number of things 

 tied together or united, (a cluster of dates, plantains) like fingers, comes 

 likewise from panj. I must not omit mentioning that the word, pincers 

 (" frequently mispronounced pinchers" as Walker says in his pronounc- 

 ing dictionary), comes from panj likewise, and that the pronunciation 

 pinchers is consequently etymologic ally correct, since the French have 

 changed the word panj into pince, pincee and pincer, in all which words 

 the idea of a pinch with the (five or less) fingers is prominent ; e. g. les 

 pinces, the hands of a crab ; une pincee, 1st, what is, and can be, taken 

 with some fingers, 2d, the little foot of an animal, &c. 



If we consider that panj, irevre, fiinf and hing, are links in one chain 

 of modifications of one root, we shall not think it an extravagance, to 

 consider the word, finger, as a link of the same chain, and to believe 

 that it means nothing else but five. Just so SaicTvXos comes from Seica, 

 and in German, the word Dachtel (pronoun. Dahtel) means a slap 

 in the face with the open hand, or with the fingers, not with the fist, 

 AaicrvXos means also, fructus palmse, i. e. a bunch of dates. Digitus 

 is only a softer pronunciation of BaxTvXos, viz. da/ctr (vXos) or Say it 

 (v\os)» and comes likewise from £e/ca or decern (correctly pronounced 

 dekem) . 



8. Numeral 6. 

 Lo, rocu Oh. & Japan, 

 dhruh, Thibet 



alty, Turkish 



vietz, Armen. 

 shashta Sanscrit 

 shest, Bohem. 



shestsh, Wendish 



Numeral 7- 

 Tsie, xici, Ch. andJap. 

 dum, Thibet 

 saptam, Sanscrit and 

 Tarn. 



sattam, Sanscrit Tamu- 

 lized 



septem, Latin 

 ysoptomoh, 



^septimus, a, um 



on, 



Sanscrit 



Numeral 8. 

 Pu, faci. Ch. and Jap. 

 ghia, Thibet 



ashta, Sanscrit 



hasht. Pehlvi & Pers* 



shash, Persian 

 sex Latin 

 *f 



sechs (pron. sex) Ger- 

 man 



chwch (pron. huah) 



Welsh 

 hat, Hungar. 



€7TTa 



haft Persian 

 efta, Gipsy 

 sept, French 



sedm, Bohem. 



sais, Welsh 

 net, Hungar. 



ohto, Gipsy 



OKTU) 



octo, Latin 



acht, (pron. aht) Ger- 

 man. 



eight, Engl. 



with, Welsh 

 huit, French 



