he like, with which they too often
garnish their English style. But these, except they stand as foreign
quotations, in which case they are exempt from our rules, are in general
offences against the _purity_ of our language; and it may therefore be
sufficient, just to mention them here, without expressly putting any of
them into the category of grammatical figures.

SECTION II.--FIGURES OF ETYMOLOGY.

A Figure of Etymology is an intentional deviation from the ordinary
formation of a word. The principal figures of Etymology are eight; namely,
_A-phoer'-e-sis, Pros'-the-sis, Syn'-co-pe, A-poc'-o-pe, Par-a-go'-ge,
Di-oer'-e-sis, Syn-oer'-e-sis_, and _Tme'-sis_.

EXPLANATIONS.

I. _Aphaeresis_ is the elision of some of the initial letters of a word: as,
_'gainst_, for _against_; _'gan_, for _began_; _'neath_, for _beneath_;
_'thout_, for _without_.

II. _Prosthesis_ is the prefixing of an expletive syllable to a word: as,
_a_down, for _down_; _ap_paid, for _paid_; _be_strown, for _strown_;
_ev_anished, for _vanished_; _y_clad, for _clad_.

III. _Syn'cope_ is the elision of some of the middle letters of a word:
as, _med'cine_, for _medicine_; _e'en_, for _even_; _o'er_, for _over_;
_conq'ring_, for _conquering_; _se'nnight_, for _sevennight_.

IV. _Apoc'ope_ is the elision of some of the final letters of a word: as,
_tho'_ for _though_; _th'_, for _the_; _t'other_, for _the other_; _thro'_,
for _through_.

V. _Parago'ge_ is the annexing of an expletive syllable to a word: as,
_Johnny_, for _John_; _deary_, for _dear_; _withouten_, for _without_.

VI. _Diaeresis_ is the separating of two vowels that might be supposed to
form a diphthong: as, _cooeperate_, not _cooperate_; _aeronaut_, not
_aeronaut_; _or'thoepy_, not _orthoepy_.

VII. _Synaeresis_ is the sinking of two syllables into one: as, _seest_, for
_seest_; _tacked_, for _tack-ed_; _drowned_, for _drown-ed_; _spoks't_, for
_spok-est_; _show'dst_, for _show-edst_; _'tis_, for _it is_; _I'll_, for
_I will_.

VIII. _Tmesis_ is the inserting of a word between the parts of a compound,
or between two words which should be united if they stood together: as, "On
_which_ side _soever_."--_Rolla_. "_To_ us _ward_;" "_To_ God
_ward_."--_Bible_. "The _assembling_ of ourselves _together_."--_Id._ "With
_what_ charms _soe'er_ she will."--_Cowper_. "So _new_ a _fashion'd_
robe."--_Shak._ "Lament the _live_ day _long_."--_Burns_.

OBS.--In all our pronunciation, except t