OR,

UNIVERSAL

ETYMOLOGICAL DICTIONARY.

ON A NEW PLAN.

IN WHICH IT IS SHEWN,

THAT CONSONANTS ARE ALONE TO BE REGARDED

IN DISCOVERING THE AFFINITIES OF WORDS,

AND

THAT THE VOWELS ARE TO BE WHOLLY REJECTED;

THAT LANGUAGES CONTAIN THE SAME FUNDAMENTAL IDEA;
AND THAT THEY ARE DERIVED FROM

The EARTH,

AND THE

OPERATIONS, ACCIDENTS, and PROPERTIES,

BELONGING TO IT.

WITH

ILLUSTRATIONS DRAWN FROM VARIOUS LANGUAGES:

The TEUTONIC DIALECTS, English, Gothic, Saxon, German, Danish, &c. &c.
Greek, Latin, French, Italian, Spanish.- The CELTIC DIALECTS, Galic,
Irish, Welsh, Bretagne, &c. &c.— -The DIALECTS of the SCLAVONIC,
Russian, &c. &c.The EASTERN LANGUAGES, Hebrew,
Arabic, Persian, Sanscrit, Gipsey, Coptic, &c. &c.

VOLUME I. PART I.

CAMBRIDGE:

PRINTED AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS;

SOLD BY W. H. LUNN, CLASSICAL LIBRARY, SOHO-SQUARE, LONDON; AND

J. DEIGHTON, CAMBRIDGE.

1811.

PREFAC E.

IN

my former Work on the subject of Etymology, I unfolded the doctrine of Elementary Language; and I illustrated by a series of examples, how that doctrine might be applied to the discovery of relations, existing between Words, which were before totally unknown. In explaining this Elementary Doctrine, it was shewn, that Consonants were alone concerned in preserving and exhibiting the affinities of words, and that the Vowels were to be wholly removed from our regard, and even rejected from our view. By the establishment of this doctrine I had laid the foundation of a new System in the developement of Human Speech; and every thing was indeed then discovered, which related to the symbolical forms, by which the affinities of Language are propagated and preserved. I was then fully persuaded, that the EARTH was an important object in supplying the First and Fundamental idea, conveyed by words; and I had accordingly announced, that my succeeding Work would probably be dedicated to the consideration of those words, which were connected with our term EARTH, and its numerous parallels, existing in various Languages. Though I Though I was always persuaded of the importance of this object in supplying the Fundamental idea, deposited in words; I did not imagine, that the connection with this object was always to be discovered, or always to be exhibited. I conceived, that we might well be contented with our success in unfolding the secrets of Language, if we were enabled to discover the relation of a series