'arm' or 'brust', being a contraction of 'arcubalista', but a
contraction under these influences. As little has 'abenteuer'
anything to do with 'abend' or 'theuer', however it may seem to be
connected with them, being indeed the Provencal 'adventura'. And
'weissagen' in its earlier forms had nothing in common with
'sagen'.

{265} [So Diez. But Prof. Skeat and Scheler see no reason why it should
not be direct from French _refuser_ and Low Latin _refusare_, from
_refusus_, rejected.]

{266} It is upon this word that De Quincey (_Life and Manners_, p. 70,
American Ed.) says excellently well: "It is in fact by such
corruptions, by off-sets upon an old stock, arising through
ignorance or mispronunciation originally, that every language is
frequently enriched; and new modifications of thought, unfolding
themselves in the progress of society, generate for themselves
concurrently appropriate expressions.... It must not be allowed to
weigh against a word once fairly naturalized by all, that
originally it crept in upon an abuse or a corruption. Prescription
is as strong a ground of legitimation in a case of this nature, as
it is in law. And the old axiom is applicable--Fieri non debuit,
factum valet. Were it otherwise, languages would be robbed of much
of their wealth". [_Works_, vol. xiv., p. 201.]

{267} [The direct opposite is the fact. The French _contredanse_ was
borrowed from the English 'country-dance'. See _The Folk and their
Word-Lore_, p. 153.]

{268} [These words are not identical. They were in use as distinct words
in the fifteenth century. See N.E.D.]

{269} [Dr. Murray has shown that 'causeway' is not a corruption of
'causey' but a compound of that word with 'way'.]

{270} [Prof. Skeat has demonstrated that the supposed Greek 'rachitis',
inflammation of the back, is an aetiological invention to serve as
etymon of 'rickets', the condition of being rickety, a purely
native word. See also _Folk-Etymology_, 312.]

{271} [See _The Folk and their Word-Lore_, p. 124.]

{272} _Phars._ vi. 720-830.

{273} Thus in a _Vocabulary_, 1475: Nigromansia dicitur divinatio facta
_per nigros_.

{274} [Dyce believed that it was really thus derived and distinct from
_pleurisy_, but it was evidently modelled upon that word (_Remarks
on Editions of Shakes