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applied to such divers objects as the stormy | blue dye-stuff prepared from the leaves of petrel; a black West Indian bird of the cuckoo Isatis tinctoria powdered and fermented " family; a kind of snail; and the dobby of every schoolboy connects with the a loom. More interesting still there is the ancient Britons. Woad-ashes " is another Witch of Agnesi," a plane curve named after dyer's word, but it means the ashes of burnt wine-lees. M. G. Agnesi, though for witch" in this locution no reason is brought With forward. Woe" we touch a point in the bed"Witch-bell" (the quotation is from Hogg) is rock of language, if so we may put it; it is a Scotch for a harebell. The substantive itself Com. Indo-European interjection, used as а seems to be derived from the O.E. verb natural exclamation of lament." The most wiccian of obscure origin. The O.E. wice and interesting development from this word is the wic has also worked down in modern speech word with deep-going root of many relations; adjective woe-begone.' Wolf is another to witch," with alternative spelling "wych," and (signifying "pliant") is appropriated, as we observe that little countenance is given to in wych elm, to trees with pliant branches. the proposal to connect it ultimately with The first article under with" concerns the ἕλκειν, Wolf of hell " was an old appellasubstantive the name, that is, possibly, a tion of the Devil. Two musical uses corruption of 'width," for the partition be"wolf" are recorded in the one, which goes tween flues in a chimney-stack. Its first ap- back to the eighteenth century, it denotes a pearance would seem to be in an Act of 7 harsh, howling sound" in certain chords on Anne, and the last quotation given here (1905) keyed instruments, the organ in particular, shows it to be in technical use at the present when tuned by any form of unequal temperaday. There follows the splendid article, with ment"; in the other, harsh sound on stringed its pithy introductory sketch of development, instruments due to faulty vibration-" that with " preposition. It runs to over six- hollow teeth-on-edge growl called the wolf'. teen columns. Among happy instances of sub- The Alsatian wolf-dog is definitely stated to be stitution we should place withdrawal derived from a cross between German_sheepwhich came into use in the early nineteenth dog and wolf. Wolf's head" in Old English century for withdrawment." Wither,' to Law, is the cry for the pursuit of an outlaw, dry or shrivel up is pronounced to be appar- and transferred to the outlaw himself. ently a variant from weather"; it is a Woman," again, furnishes a remarkably technical term in the manufacture of tea (if good article. The different pronunciation of manufacture is here the right word) for the the wo- in the singular and plural of this drying of the leaf before roasting, a sense for word, is referred to associative influence from which there is a mid-eighteenth century foot and feet and the like pairs. We quotation. Withershins," chiefly Scotch, ap- enjoyed much the little collection of proverbs pears not to have been found earlier than the about women. Among words of unknown sixteenth century. "Withwind " that is origin is wonder.' Only one quotation, and bindweed," and used, as "bindweed" is, for that from the eighteenth century, precedes more than one climbing plant, has been "Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland "" brought back to us, it seems, by Hardy and which, though fairyland and 'fatherland the Poet Laureate. In "witness"-as in the may have helped, we take to be the effective French témoin-we have passage from abstract origin of the numerous new compounds with "land." to concrete in the development of meaning, Wondrous "" is notable, the adthe word, in its earliest significance meaning jectival suffix -ous, after 'marvellous," having knowledge," though in the ordinary modern been substituted for the end of the old adsenses it is not long to seek. A good collection jective wonders." This, by all the rules of quotations shews the use of the word for reprehensible, goes back to the sixteenth cenevidential mark, and then there is modern use tury or So. Wood" tree, ground covered of it in textual criticism to denote a MS. or with trees, or the substance of a tree, is an early version considered as authority. A use outstanding good article, and "wood," which is parallel to that of témoin recently discussed the Indo-Eur. wat- and made in Latin vates in our columns is also here. "Witness-box" and which in English, or rather Scottish, is illustrated from 1806; in America they means lunatic, takes one over much ground speak of a "witness-stand." As an example in its quotations. That elusive word showing the diligence of the compilers and bine seems, in truth, best fixed to the honeytheir range may be cited the word witz- suckle: ivy and convolvulus have given it up; choura" which denotes a style of lady's mantle but-almost a pity, we think-Ampelopsis, in -fashionable c 1820-35." In the mention of America, is adopting it. Under wooden "Wizard of the North" as a designation of we come upon much history and custom : Sir Walter Scott should not some note of its "wooden walls "; "wooden spoon "; wooden origin have been given? How many people shoe type of the French peasant and his could give the right name to the green top of misery in the eighteenth century; and the a plant having an edible root? The right wooden horse of Troy. Wooden horse is name is Wizle "-now, it would appear, only besides both an old expression for a ship, and dialectal, but worthy to be made general. It name for an instrument of military punishis surprising how large a number of words ment. "Wool" and its derivatives form a there is all, to be sure, obsolete beginning fine series of articles. Perhaps a few more with wl: thus wlaffe," to stammer; "wlonk, historical particulars might have been added proud. Again, a particularly interesting col- to the explanation of "woolsack." lection of passages illustrates woad the saw is one of the few foreign words in the

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section: the first quotation is of 1757: the compounded with -wurthe. Blameworthy meaning, among people of African descent in and "thankworthy come from the fourteenth Central America, Word an evil spirit.' century; praiseworthy and "noteworthy we are inclined to consider the best article of from the sixteenth; seaworthy" first in all, whether its massiveness, its articulation 1807. Many others appeared and have not or the intrusive interest of the quotations is sustained themselves, and a few modern formamade the point. It records some curious tions are mentioned which one may well expect attempts, Sir F. Palgrave's wordspite" for to disappear. Airworthy," which is pretty example. Perhaps, though, one should put sure to hold its own, is . not given. "work "beside it. We found some little fault Words in wr- are brought together in a with a definition of "work as something separate section. In one of those brief but which is or was done," etc., omitting, what we compendious introductory paragraphs which think is inseparable from the word even in its form one of the best and most characteristic lightest uses, the sense of volition and purpose. features of the Dictionary we are told that A cricketing use of "work" is uncommonly about 130 such words are recorded from OE. precise it denotes "the deflection of the ball It was a difficult initial to pronounce, and the after touching the ground, resulting from the difficulty may be indicated by the northern spin or twist imparted to it by the bowler.' tendency to interpolate a vowel. In the The past of "work" was once wrought"; fifteenth century spellings begin to shew a the Dictionary tells us that the new past dropping of the w, which was finally, in the "worked" became established in the fifteenth standard pronunciation of English, abandoned century, so that its newness is all by compari- in the seventeenth century. Wrap" with its son. We were surprised to find "workable" derivatives is one of the most interesting here. as old as it is the first quotation is from As the verb (a word of obscure origin) it goes Ascham. Under workhouse it is noted back to the fourteenth century; it had been that the official name of the house for the un- preceded by bewrap." It developed employed poor formerly so designated is now wrapper in the following century, but which does not seem poor-law institution," wrap as substantive, and also wrapping much of an improvement. The adoption of the are, on the whole, nineteenth century words. word in the United States as name for a house From a Daily Chronicle of 1881 is quoted we of correction for petty offences has been noted. have heard Livingstone, the African exWorking-class is an early nineteenth cen-plorer, and many other travellers, say that at tury word, and so is "working-man.' Then night no wrap could equal the beard." we come on to " world"-again a splendid com- Under wreck the first definition is legal, pilation. Its first meaning, taken etymo- with date 1077" Wm. I, in Chron. Abb. Ramlogically, is age or "life of man. A sey. Wrench is an interesting word which charter dated 832 furnishes the first example. among its less known meanings signifies, both The meaning sphere of interest or activity as substantive and verb, technically in coursing was bound up at first (the earliest instance the turn or veer of the hare at less than a given is from Sidney) with the idea of man as right angle. Two Wrenches stand for a a microcosm. "World of words" is a seven- Turn" it is explained. Rick is another teenth century way of mentioning a diction- word for the same motion. Wrest' presents ary. Under worm is noted the Scottish a delightful little collection of quotations for use of the word for toothache. We observed its sense as an implement for tuning a stringed that its use for the thread or spiral ridge or musical instrument. The first uses of hollow of a screw is not earlier than the seven- "wretch" are far unlike the modern uses : teenth century. Worry as a verb in the the word in 'Beowulf 'cor in Alfred's speech first sense to strangle" is among our earliest denoted an exile. In German the meaning words, but as a substantive seems to have been developed into "adventurer or knight new to Wilberforce, quoted 1804: So much errant " it is found in OS. applied to the so, that the incessant worry (is it an ex- Magi. We must not close without at least pressive word).' The verb in a figurative sense mention of the admirable articles on write is traced back to the mid-sixteenth century. and its derivatives and on wrong. Another Worth -as is seen in place-names-means good instance of the Dictionary's astonishing an enclosed place,' homestead," and, except thoroughness is the inclusion of writingfor one seventeenth century example, place- master? as name for the yellow-hammer. names furnish all the evidence for it. The Writing School is the sense familiar at quotation is from a deed of conveyance which Oxford University goes back no further than the Woorth commonly called 1876. Margret Acre." Titus Andronicus supplies Tribute to the Great Dictionary has been the first quotation for worthless." Five paid from all sides. It possesses, however, quotations illustrate the English Law phrase assuredly, no admirers who have followed its worthy of blood' thus" 1628 COKE On Litt. progress with more zealous interest or rejoiced 12b, the bloud of the part of the father is more in its completion with more thorough satisworthy in iudgement of law, than the faction than the brotherhood of N. & Q.' bloud of the part of the mother." Adjectives compounded with " -worthy occur first in the thirteenth century as variants of old forms

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BRIDGER & KAY, Ltd., 170, Strand, London, WANTED, Poems and Plays before 1800; and