ENGLISH SYNONYMES 14 EXPLAINED, IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER; WITH COPIOUS ILLUSTRATIONS AND EXAMPLES DRAWN FROM THE BEST WRITERS. BY GEORGE CRABB, OF MAGDALEN HALL, OXFORD. Sed cum idem frequentissimè plura significent, quod σuvvuμa vocatur, jam sunt LONDON: PRINTED FOR BALDWIN, CRADOCK, AND JOY, 47, PATERNOSTER-ROW ; AND T. BOOSEY, OLD BROAD-STREET.. 1816. 15 PREFACE. IT may seem surprising that the English, who have employed their talents successfully in every branch of literature, and in none more than in that of philology, should yet have fallen below other nations in the study of their synonymes: it cannot however be denied that, whilst the French and Germans have had several considerable works on the subject, we have not a single writer who has treated it in a scientific manner adequate to its importance: not that I wish by this remark to depreciate the labors of those who have preceded me; but simply to assign it as a reason why I have now been induced to come forward with an attempt to fill up what is considered a chasm in English literature. In the prosecution of this my undertaking, I have profited by every thing which has been written in any language upon the subject; and although I always pursued my own train of thought, yet whenever I met with any thing deserving of notice I adopted it, and referred it to the author in a note. I had not proceeded far before I found it necessary to restrict myself in the choice of my materials; and accordingly laid it down as a rule not to compare any words together which were sufficiently distinguished from each other by striking features in their signification, such as abandon and quit, which require a comparison with others, though not necessarily with themselves; for the same reason I was obliged to limit myself as a rule to one authority for each word, unless where the case seemed to require farther exemplification. But notwithstanding all my care in this respect, I was compelled to curtail much of what I had written, for fear of increasing the volume to an inconvenient size. Although a work of this description does not afford much scope for system and arrangement, yet I laid down to myself the plan of arranging the words according to the extent or universality of their acceptation, placing those first which had the most general sense and application, and the rest in order. By this plan I found myself greatly aided in analysing their differences, and I trust that the reader will thereby be equally benefited. In the choice of authorities I have been guided by various considerations; namely, the appropriateness of the examples; the classic purity of the author; the justness of the sentiment; and, last of all, the variety of the writers: but I am persuaded that the reader will not be dissatisfied to find that I have shown a decided preference to such authors as Addison, Johnson, Dryden, Pope, Milton, &c. At the same time it is but just to observe that this selection of authorities has been made by an actual perusal of the authors, without the assistance of Johnson's Dictionary. For the sentiments which are scattered through this work I offer no apology, as I think none necessary; although I am aware that they will not fall in with the views of many who may be competent to decide on its literary merits. I write not to please or displease any description of persons; but I trust that what I have written according to the dictates of my mind will meet the approbation of those whose good opinion I am most solicitous to obtain. Should any object to the introduction of morality in a work of science, I beg them to consider, that a writer whose business it was to mark the nice shades of distinction between words closely allied, could not do justice to his subject without entering into all the relations of society, and showing, from the acknowledged sense of many moral and religious terms, what has been the general sense of mankind on many of the most important questions which have agitated the world. My first object certainly has been to assist the philological enquirer in ascertaining the force and comprehension of the English language; yet I should have thought my work but half completed had I made it a mere register of verbal distinctions. While others seize every opportunity unblushingly to avow and zealously to propagate opinions destructive of good order, and tending to sow disension among men, it would ill become any individual of contrary sentiments to shrink from stating his convictions, when called upon as he seems to be by an occasion like that which has now offered itself. As to the rest, I throw myself on the indulgence of the public, conscious that this work will call for it in no small degree. Although I have obtained their approbation on other occasions, yet it is not without some degree of diffidence that I appear before them on the present; notwithstanding the favorable sentence which private friends have passed upon my work. Conscious, however, that I have used every endeavour to deserve their approbation, and satisfied that in such case no one makes his appeal to their candor in vain, I leave my cause in their hands, fully assured that it will meet with all the attention that it deserves. London, March 8, 1816. ENGLISH SYNONYMES EXPLAINED. TO ABANDON, DESERT, FOR THE idea of leaving or separating ABANDON,* from the French abandonner, is a concretion of the words donner à ban, to give up to public blame. This phrase was used in former times both in a civil and religious sense; as the ban of the empire for a civil interdict, and the ban of the kirk for ecclesiastical excommunication. The former of these practices still continues under the name of outlawry. To abandon then is to expose to every misfortune and evil which results from a formal and pub lic denunciation; to set out of the protection of law and government; to deny the privileges of citizenship; to leave with solemnity, which ought to be equivalent, as Johnson observes, to diris devovere. DESERT, in Latin desertus, participle of desero, that is, de privative and sero to sow, signifying unsown, unplanted, cultivated no longer. To desert then is to leave off cultivating, and as there is something of idleness and improvidence in ceasing to render the soil productive, ideas of disapprobation accompany the word in all its metaphorical applications. He who leaves off cultivating a farm usually removes from it; hence the idea of removal and blameworthy removal, which usually attaches to the term. FORSAKE, in Saxon forsecan, is compounded of the primitive for and sake, seek, secan, signifying to seek no more, to leave off seeking that which has been an object of search. *? RELINQUISH, in Latin relinquo, is compounded of re or retro behind, and linquo to leave, that is, to leave what we would fain take with us, to leave with reluctance. To abandon is totally to withdraw ourselves from an object; to lay aside all care and concern for it; to leave it altogether to itself: to desert is to withdraw ourselves at certain times when our assistance or co-operation is required, or to separate ourselves from that to which we ought to be attached; to forsake is to withdraw our regard for and interest in an object, to keep at a distance from it; to relinquish is to leave that which has once been an object of our pursuit. Abandon and desert are employed for persons or things; forsake for persons or places; relinquish for things only. With regard to persons these terms express moral culpability in a progressive ratio downwards; abandon comprehends the violation of the most sacred ties; desert, a breach of honour and fidelity; forsake, a rupture of the social bond. We abandon those who are entirely dependent for protection and support; they are left in a helpless state exposed to every danger; a child is abandoned by its parent; we desert those with whom we have entered into coalition; they are left to their own resources; a soldier deserts his comrades; a partisan deserts his friends; * Vide Taylor: "To forsake, neglect, desert, abandon." B |