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ETYMOLOGY (Gr. grvµos, true, and X6yo...

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Originally appearing in Volume V09, Page 865 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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ETYMOLOGY (Gr. grvµos, true, and X6yos, "See also:account)  , that See also:part or See also:branch of the See also:science of linguistics which deals with the origin or derivation of words . The See also:Greek word Ervµos, in so far as it was applied to words, referred to the real underlying meaning rather than to the origin . It was the See also:Stoics who asserted that the See also:discovery of re Ervµov would explain the essence of the things and ideas represented by words . See also:Plato in the Cratylus makes a nearer approach to the See also:modern view when he connects, e.g. yvvi7, woman, with yovn, See also:seed, while he jests at such etymological feats as the derivation of oupavos, See also:heaven, barb roil op&v ra avw, from looking at things above, or avOpwiros, See also:man, from 6 avaOp%ov d . 6irwnrev, he who Iooks up at what he See also:sees . Until the See also:comparative study of See also:philology and the development of the See also:laws underlying phonetic changes, the derivation of words was a See also:matter mostly of guess-See also:work, sometimes right but more often wrong, based on superficial resemblances of See also:form and the like . This popular See also:etymology, to which the Germans have given the name Volksetymologie or folk-etymology, has had much See also:influence in the form which words take (e.g . " crawfish " or See also:crayfish," from the See also:French crevis, modern ecrevisse, or " See also:sand-See also:blind," from samblind, i.e. semi-, See also:half-blind), and has frequently been the occasion of homonyms . W . W . See also:Skeat has embodied in certain canons or rules some well-known principles which should be observed in giving the etymology of a word; these may be usefully given here: " (1) Before attempting an etymology, ascertain the earliest form and use of the word, and observe See also:chronology . (2) Observe See also:history and See also:geography; borrowings are due to actual contact .

(3) Observe phonetic laws, especially those which regulate the mutual relation of consonants in the various See also:

Aryan See also:languages, at the same See also:time comparing the vowel sounds . (4) In comparing two words, A and B, belonging to the same See also:language, of which A contains the lesser number of syllables, A must be taken to be the more See also:original word, unless we have See also:evidence of contraction or other corruption . (5) In comparing two words, A and B, belonging to the same language and consisting of the same number of syllables, the older form can usually be distinguished by observing the See also:sound of the See also:principal vowel . (6) Strong verbs, in the See also:Teutonic languages, and the so-called " irregular verbs " in Latin, are commonly to be considered as See also:primary, other related forms being taken from them . (q) The whole of a word, and not a portion only, ought to be reasonably accounted for; and, in tracing changes of form, any infringement of phonetic laws is to be regarded with suspicion . (8) See also:Mere resemblances of form and apparent connexion in sense between languages which have different phonetic laws or no necessary connexion are commonly a delusion, and are not to be regarded . (9) When words in two different languages are more nearly alike than the See also:ordinary phonetic laws would allow, there is a strong See also:probability that one language has borrowed the word from the other . Truly cognate words ought not to be too much alike . (1o) It is useless to offer an explanation of an See also:English word which will not also explain all the cognate forms " (Introduction to Etymological See also:Dictionary of the English Language, 1898) . An English word is either " the extant formal representative or See also:direct phonetic descendant of an earlier (Teutonic) word; or it has been adopted or adapted from some See also:foreign language," See also:adoption being a popular, and See also:adaptation being a See also:literary or learned See also:process; finally, there is formation, i.e. the " See also:combination of existing words (foreign or native) or parts of words with each other or with living formatives, i.e. syllables which no longer exist as See also:separate words, but yet have an appreciable signification which they impart to the new product " (see Introduction to the See also:Oxford New English Dictionary, p. xx) . A further See also:classification of words according to their origin is that into (I) naturals, i.e. purely native words, like " See also:mother," " See also:father," " See also:house "; (2) those which become perfectly naturalized, though of foreign origin, like " See also:cat," " mutton," " See also:beef "; (3) denizens, words naturalized in usage but keeping the foreign See also:pronunciation, spelling and inflections, e.g . " See also:focus," " See also:camera "; (4) aliens, words for foreign things, institutions, offices, &c., for which there is no English See also:equivalent, e.g., menu, table d'hote, impi, See also:lakh, mollah, See also:tarbush; (5) casuals, e.g., bloc, Ausgleich, sabotage, differing only from " aliens " in their temporary use .

The full etymology of a word should include the phonetic descent, the source of the word, whether from a native or from a foreign origin, and, if the latter, whether by adoption or adaptation, or, if a formed word, the origin of the parts which go to make it up . In the See also:

present edition of the See also:Encyclopaedia Britannica such full etymologies, which would be necessary and in See also:place in an etymological dictionary, have not been given in every instance, but brief etymological notes are appended, showing in outline the See also:sources and history, and in many cases the development in meaning . (See also DICTIONARY.) EU, a See also:town of See also:north-western See also:France, in the See also:department of See also:Seine-Inferieure, on the See also:river Bresle, 64 m . N.N.E. of See also:Rouen on the Western railway, and 2 m . E.S.E. of Le Treport, at the mouth of the Bresle, which is canalized between the two towns . Pop . (1906) 4865 . The extensive See also:forest of Eu lies to the See also:south-See also:east of the town . Eu has three buildings of importance—the beautiful See also:Gothic See also:church of St See also:Laurent (12th and 13th centuries) of which the exterior of the See also:choir with its three tiers of ornamented buttressing and the See also:double See also:arches between the pillars of the See also:nave are architecturally notable; the See also:chapel of the Jesuit See also:college (built about 1625), in which are the tombs of See also:Henry, third See also:duke of See also:Guise, and his wife, Katherine of See also:Cleves; and the See also:chateau . The latter was begun by Henry of Guise in 1578, in place of an older chateau burnt by See also:Louis XI. in 1475 to prevent its See also:capture by the English . It was continued by Mademoiselle de See also:Montpensier in the latter half of the 17th See also:century, and restored by Louis Philippe who, in 1843 and 1845, received See also:Queen See also:Victoria within its walls . In 1902 the greater part of the See also:building was destroyed by See also:fire .

The town has a tribunal of See also:

commerce and a communal college, See also:flour-See also:mills, manufactories of earthenware, biscuits, See also:furniture, casks, and See also:glass and See also:brick See also:works; the See also:port has See also:trade in See also:grain, See also:timber, See also:hemp, See also:flax, &c . Eu (See also:Augusta) was in existence under the See also:Romans . The first See also:line of its See also:counts, supposed to be descended from the See also:dukes of See also:Normandy, had as heiress Alix (died 1227), who married Raoul (See also:Ralph) de See also:Lusignan, known as the Sire d'See also:Issoudun from his lordship of that name . Through their See also:grand-daughter See also:Marie, the countship of Eu passed by See also:marriage to the house of Brienne, two members of which, both named Raoul, were constables of France . See also:King See also:John confiscated the countship in 1350, and gave it to John of See also:Artois (1352) . His See also:great-See also:grandson, See also:Charles, son of See also:Philip of Artois, See also:count of Eu, and Marie of See also:Berry, played a conspicuous part in the See also:Hundred Years' See also:War . He was taken prisoner at the See also:battle of See also:Agincourt (1415), and remained in See also:England twenty-three years, in accordance with the dying injunctions of Henry V. that he was not to be let go until his son, Henry VI., was of See also:age to govern his dominions . He accompanied Charles VII. on his See also:campaigns in Normandy and Guyenne, and was made See also:lieutenant-See also:general of these two provinces . It was he who effected a reconciliation between the king and the dauphin after the revolt of the latter . He was created a peer of France in 1458, and made See also:governor of See also:Paris during the war of the See also:League of the Public Weal (1465) . He died on the 15th of See also:July 1472 at the age of about seventy-eight, leaving no See also:children . His See also:sister's son, John of See also:Burgundy, count of See also:Nevers, now received the countship, which passed through heiresses, in the 15th century, to the house of Cleves, and to that of See also:Lorraine-Guise .

In 166o Henry II. of Lorraine, duke of Guise, sold it to " Mademoiselle," See also:

Anne Marie See also:Louise d'See also:Orleans, duchesse de Montpensier (q.v.), who made it over (1682) to the duke of See also:Maine, See also:bastard son of Louis XIV., as part of the See also:price of the See also:release of her See also:lover See also:Lauzun . The second son of the duke of Maine, Louis Charles de See also:Bourbon (17o1-1775), See also:bore the See also:title of count of Eu . In 1755 he inherited from his See also:elder See also:brother, Louis Auguste de Bourbon (1700-1755), See also:prince de See also:Dombes, great estates, part of which he sold to the king . The See also:remainder, which was still considerable, passed to his See also:cousin the duke of Penthievre . These estates were confiscated at the Revolution; but at the Restoration they were bestowed by Louis XVII. on the duchess-See also:dowager of Orleans who, in 1821, bequeathed them to her son, afterwards King Louis Philippe . They were again confiscated in 1852, but were restored to the Orleans See also:family by the See also:National See also:Assembly after the Franco-See also:German War . The title of count of Eu was revived in the 19th century in favour of the eldest son of the duke of See also:Nemours, second son of King Louis Philippe .

End of Article: ETYMOLOGY (Gr. grvµos, true, and X6yos, "account)
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