Prolusiones Etymologicæ
Anon
Genre: | Extract, Spoof |
Subjects: | Nomenclature, Philosophy, Disease |
A 'Specimen of a Proposed Philosophical Dictionary' proposing alternative etymologies for several common words and phrases. Entries include: 'Dust—A title originated by philosophers, in respect of its worthlessness, and perpetuated by the swell mob and the undergraduates of the two learned Universities, in respect of its pithiness'; 'Tin—Frequently acquired by brass; species pro specie; possibly from Τιυειυ, to pay'; and 'Oil of Palms—Mataphora venustissima. A specific much in vogue for rigid fingers and horny fistedness; thought, strange to say, it only serves to augment the itch that so often affects the hand. It is absorbed into the system with singular facility, but requires a tremendous squeeze to re-express it'. |
© Science in the Nineteenth-Century Periodical Project, Universities of Leeds and Sheffield, 2005 - 2020
Printed from Science in the Nineteenth-Century Periodical: An Electronic Index, v. 4.0, The Digital Humanities Institute <http://www.sciper.org> [accessed ]