AmAp0r^r,•l?9h4a^m•}  Creosote  or  Creasote  ?  167 
"  creosote "  (or  "  creasote").  It  was  then  found  that  the  form 
"  creosote  "  was,  for  several  reasons,  the  best  authenticated,  and  this 
was  also  proposed  for,  and  adopted,  in  the  new  U.  S.  P.  Quite 
recently  the  writer  was  requested  by  another  correspondent  to  pro- 
duce the  reasons  why  the  spelling  was  altered  in  the  U.  S.  P.,  and 
after  he  had  supplied  the  information,  it  was  suggested  to  him  that 
this  might  be  of  interest  to  others.  Although  the  matter  is  not  of 
much  importance,  yet,  in  compliance  with  the  suggestion,  the  fol- 
lowing note  is  published. 
It  was  Reichenbach  who  discovered  the  substance  in  1832,1  and 
who  coined  for  it  the  name  "  kreosot."2  For  this  reason  alone* 
therefore,  the  spelling  with  "o"  should  be  retained.  But  as  some 
subsequent  writers  and  authorities  thought  fit  to  change  the  spelling, 
in  English,  to  "  creasote,"  it  is  worth  while  to  inquire  whether  this 
is  in  accordance  with  the  best  usage  in  Greek. 
In  the  formation  of  compound  nouns  or  adjectives  in  Greek,  when 
a  noun  forms  the  first  part  of  the  compound,  the  stem-form  of  the 
latter  is  generally  used.  Under  "  stem-form  "  or  "  stem  "  is  to  be 
understood  that  portion  of  the  noun  which  remains  after  the  termi- 
nation of  the  genitive  is  discarded.  (Only  general  outlines  can  be 
given  here  ;  for  details  the  reader,  who  takes  an  interest  in  this 
subject,  is  referred  to  Kiihner's  Ausfuhrliche  Grammatik  d.  Griechi- 
schen  Sprache  (2d  ed.,  by  Blass),  I,  2,  329  sqq.)  The  stem-form 
may  end  either  in  a  vowel  or  in  a  consonant.  Assuming  that  a 
noun  of  the  third  declension,  the  stem  of  which  ends  with  a  vowel,, 
forms  the  first  part  of  a  compound,  then  this  stem  may  be  joined 
to  the  second  part  directly,  or  else  with  the  intervention  of  a 
so-called  "  binding-vowel,"  which  is  usually  a  short  0.    In  some 
1  Schweigger-Seidel's  Journal  fur  Physik  und  Chemie,  vol.  65  (1832),  p.  461. 
2  In  vol.  67  (1833)  of  the  before-mentioned  journal,  Reichenbach  himself 
states  why  he  gave  the  substance  that  name  :  "  Hier  ist  es  wo  ich  nun  einmal 
Gelegenheit  zu  einem  Versuche  finde,  das  Wort  Kreosot,  welches  ich  fiir  den 
neuen  Korper  vorschlage,  zu  rechtfertigen.  Ich  leite  es  namlich  von  seiner 
Eigenschaft  ab  das  Fleisch  zu  erhalten,  als  einer  seiner  auffallendsten,  eigen- 
thiimlichsten,  und  von  uralten  Zeiten  her  bekannten  und  erprobten.  y.piaS 
heisst  im  Griechischen  Fleisch,  im  Gen.  xpiaroS,  auch  xpiacuS,  [sic!  but  this 
should  be  y.piaos],  und  contrahirt  y.piws  ;  itw>  heisst  ich  erhalte,  errette ; 
beides  lasst  sich  sprachgesetzmassig  verbinden  zu  dem  Worte  Kerosot  [sic  ! 
a  misprint  for  Kreosot],  welches  'das  Fleisch  erhaltende,  vor  Verderben  erret- 
tende  '  ausdriickt. " 
