(_To the Editor of the Mirror_.)
Probably the following observations upon singular words, may amuse
some of your readers. I should, however, premise that as regards
myself, the greater part are not original.
Without further preface, allow me in the first place to call your
attention to a word, which, by adding a syllable, becomes shorter,
viz. the word _short_--on the other hand we have words of one
syllable, which, by taking away two letters, become words of two
syllables, as plague, league, both of which, by such an elision, leave
_ague_. By dropping the two first letters of the word _monosyllable_,
we have _no syllable_ remaining.
It has been remarked that _heroine_ is one of the most peculiar words
in our language, as it may be thus divided--the two first letters of
it are male--the three first female--the four first a brave man, and
the whole word a brave woman. Thus: _he, her, hero, heroine_. A beggar
may address himself, and say, _mend I can't!_--leave out the
apostrophe and he still remains a _mendicant_. _Tartar, papa, murmur,
etc._ may be noticed as doubling the first syllable, and _eye, level_,
and other words as having the same meaning whether read backwards or
forwards. Some few by a reverse reading give a different sense as
_leper, revel, etc._