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ON THE

ETYMOLOGY OF THE ENGLISH VERB.

PART I.

IN examining this class of words, it is intended to separate the inquiry into two parts:-first noticing the general origin of our verbs; and, secondly, in a subsequent paper, observing the grammatical inflections to which they are subject.

In considering the general origin of English verbs, it is proposed first to observe the principal sources from which they are derived; secondly, to examine the principles on which compound verbs are formed; and, lastly, to make some remarks on certain verbs of a somewhat eccentric character.

The term by which this part of speech is distinguished is particularly expressive, and indicates it of no ordinary importance. All oral signs of our ideas are words, but this is called the word, or verb.

"As nouns denote the subjects of discourse," says Bosworth,* 66 so verbs affirm their accidents or properties. The former are the names of things, the latter what we say concerning them. These two, therefore, must be the only essential parts of speech; for, to mental communication, nothing else can be indispensably requisite than to name the subject of our thoughts, and to express our sentiments of its attributes or properties. As the verb essentially expresses affirmation, without which there could be no communication of sentiment, it has been hence considered as the principal part of speech, and was therefore called by the ancient grammarians TO 'PHMA, verbum, verb, or the woRD, by way of eminence."

It is to be regretted, that grammarians are far from agreeing in their definition of the verb.

"A verb," says Mr. White,+ "is a word whereby something or other is represented as existing, possessing, acting, or being acted upon, at some particular time, past, present, or future, and this in various manners." The objection to which definition is, that, in attempting a complete description of the verb, it has said too much; for every mood cannot be said to point to "particular time.

Dr. Beattie calls this part of speech "a word necessary in every sentence, signifying the affirmation of some attribute, together with the designation of time, number, and person.

*Elements of Saxon Grammar, part ii. ch. 5.

+ A Grammatical Essay on the English Verb, 1761.

"According to this definition," says Pickbourn, "neither infinitive moods nor gerunds, nor supines, nor participles, are verbs; for they neither contain an affirmation, nor signify time, nor are limited either to number or person.

Dr. Priestley describes the verb as "a word that expresseth what is affirmed of, or attributed to, a thing;" which definition seems to include not only verbs, but likewise all adjectives and abstract nouns signifying qualities.

* י י

Dr. Lowth, however, with much more simplicity, says"A verb is a word which signifies to be, to do, or to suffer;' which is the definition adopted by Lindley Murray in his deservedly popular grammar. "It includes," observes Pickbourn, "nothing more than what is essential; and is, therefore, equally applicable to the verb in all languages, and in all its various forms." This, as a general definition, we admire; but it may be questioned whether it be strictly applicable to the English verb, seeing that with us suffering is rather expressed by auxiliaries than by any form of the verb itself: but further remarks on this part of the inquiry may be more proper under the second division of the subject.

It will be found that the verbs, as well as the nouns of our lauguage, are derived from various sources. Without indulging in minute details, of which our limits will not admit, we may refer to the principal sources, the Saxon, French, Latin, and Greek languages, affording a few illustrative examples of each.

I. Saxon. We have about 4000+ verbs in our language, of which nearly 1600 are monosyllables, and more than 2000 are dissyllables; and of these a considerable number are of Saxon descent. We shall content ourselves with a few examples.

*Pickbourn's Dissertation on the English Verb, p. 164.

+ Mr. Murray has said-" The whole number of verbs in the English language, regular, irregular, simple, and compounded, taken together, is about 4300. The number of irregular verbs, the defective included, is about 177.-Gram. 27 Ed. p. 118.

From the few examples here given, it will be seen, that, although we retain many of the verbs of our forefathers, yet we have dropped their verbal terminations, an, ian, or gan, which, although it may have given a greater air of simplicity to our verbs, has not rendered them more perfect; for these terminations, Mr. Turner has shown, were expressive abbreviations of other verbs.

It was a general principle in the formation of Anglo-Saxon verbs, that these syllables added to nouns converted them into verbs,-as, luf, love; lufan, to love: and it is curious to observe, that a contrary practice prevails with us; for, rejecting these verbal terminations, we, allowing for the change of orthography, employ the same word both as a noun and a verb in numerous instances. This will be evident from a reference to the list already given:-burn, dip, drive, fill, feed, grind, help, hold, love, name, ride, sleep, spin, &c. &c., which are nouns or verbs, according to their situation in a sentence. "In some languages, as in the Hebrew," says Mr. Turner,*"the verbs are very often the nouns applied unaltered to a verbal signification. We have examples of this sort of verbs in our English words, love, hate, fear, hope, dream, sleep, &c. These words are nouns, and are also used

* History of the Anglo-Saxons, vol. ii. Appendix, ch. 1.

as verbs. Of verbs, those made by the simple application of nouns in a verbal form, the Anglo-Saxon gives few examples." The propensity among us to verbalize nouns is frequently displayed in familiar conversation, particularly by the uneducated, who, for want of the knowledge of legitimate terms, thus hastily express their ideas.

* *

II. French. "In searching for the original nouns from which verbs have been formed," observes a most able inquirer, "we must always consider if the verb we are inquiring about be a primitive verb, or a secondary verb, containing either of the prefixes, a, be, ge, for, on, in, to, with, &c. &c. : in these cases, we must strip the verb of its prefix, and examine its derivation under its earlier form. The verbs with the prefix are obviously of later origin than the verbs to which the prefix has not been applied."

No inconsiderable number of our verbs are of French origin.

The abbreviating principle conspicuous in the formation of verbs from the Anglo-Saxon source, is also exemplified in verbs of French descent.

In many examples, the origin, although evident, by a greater change in the orthography, is not so conspicuous,—as,

Some few, we observe, while, agreeably to the general abbreviating practice, they drop the terminating syllables of the original language, yet, strangely and needlessly, prefix a preposition in passing to us: thus we have, to anoint, avenge, betray, conceal, deliver, enamel, endow, enjoy, embroil, inhabit, inherit; from oindre, venger, trahir, celer, livrer, émailler, douer, jouir, brouiller, habiter, and hériter.

To dote and to rob, from radoter and dérober, on the contrary, have dismissed both the incipient and terminating syllables. While we have borrowed freely from French verbs, we appear to have formed verbs from French participles,-as, from the present participle in issant, such as end in ish:

III. Latin and Greek.-That we have borrowed freely from the Latin, will be evident by merely consulting the long list of our verbs which terminate with the letters ate and ct. A few examples only are subjoined:

Abrogate, communicate, consolidate, consecrate, create, dedicate, emulate, eradicate, exculpate, fumigate, indicate, masticate, nominate, operate, palliate, regulate, supplicate, terminate, violate, vituperate.

Afflict, correct, exact, instruct, predict, retract, transact. From the Greek, Camden instances the following: