_NAMES: AND THEIR MEANING._
[Illustration]
NAMES:
AND THEIR MEANING
_A BOOK FOR THE CURIOUS_
BY
LEOPOLD WAGNER
_THIRD AND REVISED EDITION._
London
T. FISHER UNWIN
PATERNOSTER SQUARE
MDCCCXCIII
INTRODUCTION.
Not the least difficult matter in connection with the present work
has been the choice of a title. The one finally determined upon is
far from satisfactory, because it scarcely suggests the scope of the
subject treated. True enough, the single word NOMENCLATURE offered
itself as a suitable title; but this is really a French word, derived,
of course, from the Latin, and although it has been admitted into our
vocabulary simply owing to the lack of an English equivalent, its use
is properly restricted to the classification of technical terms in
relation to a particular branch of science. In a scientific sense,
then, the word Nomenclature finds a ready acceptance; but for the
classification of the names of persons, of places, and of things, it
is altogether too pedantic. A young friend of the author the other
day, on being informed, in answer to his inquiry, that this work would
probably be entitled “The Curiosities of Nomenclature,” promptly asked
whether it might not be as well to explain, first of all, what the word
Nomenclature meant. Now, the author does not believe for one moment
that any intelligent person who took up this volume would be at a loss
to judge of its contents from the title, that is, supposing the word
Nomenclature appeared on the page; nevertheless, his young friend’s
suggestion reminded him that a book intended not for the scientific
and learned, but for general reference, should bear a title easily
comprehended by all classes of the community. The title originally
chosen has, therefore, been rejected in favour of one less pretentious
and more matter-of-fact: if it is not sufficiently expressive, the
fault must be attributed to the poverty of the English language.
Of all the “Ologies,” PHILOLOGY, or the science of language, is the
most seductive; and that branch of it known as ETYMOLOGY, which
traces the derivation and combination of the words of a language from
its primary roots, possesses an interest--one might almost say a
fascination--for all, when once the attention has been arrested by it.
This fact is proved by the popularity of Archbishop Trench’s published
lectures on “The Study of Words,” which have now reached a nineteenth
edition. But it is not to an examination of the dictionary words of
the English language that the present volume is devoted. Bearing in
mind that several excellent works already exist on this subject,
the author has occupied himself in the following pages exclusively
with the etymology, and significance of NAMES--of _personal names_,
comprising Surnames, Sobriquets, Pseudonyms, Nicknames, Class Names,
and Professional Designations; of _names of places_, including the
Countries of the World, with the principal Seas, Islands, Gulfs,
Straits, &c., the United States of North America, the Counties of
England and Wales, and particularly the Districts, Streets, Squares,
Churches, and Public Buildings of London; of the names of Religious
Sects and Political Factions; of the names of Inns and Taverns; in
addition to the names of an infinite number of objects with which
everyone is familiar, but whose actual significance is comprehended
only by a few.
As to the utility of such a work, a brief glance into these pages may
convince the reader that the subject of NAMES is fraught with much
popular interest. Take the names of London streets. How many among
the thousands who follow their daily occupations within sight of the
gilt cross of St. Paul’s, ever reflect that the name of each street
they frequent and pass by the way, points to the origin of the street
itself; and that, were they to cultivate a practical acquaintance with
those names, their knowledge of English History and Sociology might be
considerably enlarged, with a result that they would be brought to ask
themselves at length how they could have been possessed of “souls so
dead” as never to have entered upon such a profitable field of inquiry
before? Whitefriars, Blackfriars, and Austin Friars, carry us back
in imagination to the days of yore; the friars have long returned to
the dust, but the localities they inhabited are still identified with
their existence by the names they bear. Yet these are possibly the only
thoroughfares in the City--with the exception of such as have derived
their names from a neighbouring church, public building, or private
mansion--concerning which the average Londoner can express himself with
any degree of certainty: if he venture a guess at the rest, it is safe
to assert that he will be open to correction. The like observation
applies to public buildings.
If the question were asked, for example, why the well-known Ships’
Registry Offices over the Royal Exchange are universally referred
to as “Lloyd’s,” ninety-nine out of every hundred City men would
avail themselves of the very plausible suggestion that the system of
Marine Insurance was first established, either there or elsewhere, by
some person named Lloyd. True, a certain Edward Lloyd had a remote
connection with the enterprise; but he was a coffee-house keeper, who
probably knew no more about ships and their tonnage than “Jonathan,”
another noted London coffee-house keeper, after whom the Stock Exchange
was formerly designated, knew about “bulls” and “bears.” Again, it is
not every one who could account, off hand, for such familiar names
as Scotland Yard, Bedlam, Doctors’ Commons, the Charterhouse, the
churches of St. Mary-Axe, St. Clement-Danes, St. Hallow’s-Barking,
or St. Catherine Cree. A few barristers would, doubtless, be in a
position to inform us wherefore our seminaries for the study of the
law were originally styled “Inns of Court”; but the ordinary inquirer,
left to his own resources, might find the problem somewhat difficult
to solve. Surely they were not at one time inns? and if so, whence
came the designation Inns of Court? Did the Court flunkeys patronize
them, perhaps? Or, more likely, did the sovereign, attended by the
Court, take a fancy to sleeping beneath the roof of each for once in
a way, after the manner of Queen Elizabeth? And, speaking about inns,
every Londoner is, of course, aware of the one-time existence of “La
Belle Sauvage” on the north side of Ludgate Hill, albeit the origin of
this sign has generally been ascribed to Pocahontas, of Virginia, who
accompanied her husband, John Rolfe, back to England in the year 1616,
and, as tradition has it, put up at this famous old coaching-house.
Moreover, Messrs. Cassell and Co., whose premises occupy the site,
and are approached from La Belle Sauvage Yard, have profited by the
popular misconception to the extent of adopting the figure of a female
partly clad in skins as their trade-mark. Then, again, who has not
heard of “The Tabard”? and whence did that derive its sign? Among other
celebrated inns still preserved to us, we have “Jack Straw’s Castle”
on Hampstead Heath. But who was Jack Straw? and had he ever a castle
thereabouts? As will be shown in these pages, the answer to these
questions is associated with a very stirring moment in English History.
A great deal of the early history of England can be gleaned from the
names of the counties into which this country is divided. The terms
Shire and County are so far synonymous in that they indicate a portion
of land distinguished by a particular name; yet, etymologically
considered, they are widely different. Although every shire is a
county, it is not every county to whose individual name the word
“shire” may be added. The latter is essentially Anglo-Saxon, denoting
a division of land possessed by an earl, and wherever it occurs it
points conclusively to the Saxon occupation of England. Certainly,
we do not speak of Essex-shire, Middle-sex-shire, or Sussex-shire,
because the Saxon territories referred to, as well as their relative
positions, are fully indicated in the names themselves. Neither are
we accustomed to allude to Surrey-shire, for the reason that the word
_Surrey_ expressed the Anglo-Saxon for the land south of the _rey_, or
river, comprising, as it did, that large tract of land described as
Wessex, or the land of the West Saxons, now divided into six southern
shires. The fact is, Wessex was the great kingdom of the Saxons in this
country, whereas Essex, Middlesex, and Sussex were but petty kingdoms.
Consequently, in the kingdom of Wessex it was that earldoms were first
created, and lands appertaining thereto were literally _scired_, or
sheared off. On the other hand, it would be ridiculous in the extreme,
quite apart from the unfamiliarity of such an expression, to speak of
Kent-shire, because there is nothing in the name that invests it with a
Saxon interest. The same remark is applicable to Cornwall. It is only
from habit, too, or because the name lends itself to the euphony, that
Devon is denominated a shire; for not only is this a Celtic name,
but the Saxons scarcely penetrated into, and certainly never occupied
any considerable portion of, the county. The England of the Saxons,
therefore, is to be distinguished wherever the word “shire” appears as
part of the name of a county.
If the foregoing paragraph be deemed interesting to the general
inquirer, a careful digest of the chapter on “The Countries of the
World” should prove most instructive. With a few exceptions only,
the names of the different countries of the Old World afford us an
indication of their original inhabitants, or the rude tribes that
overran them. In regard to the New World, such names of countries as
are not of native origin invariably point to the nationality of the
navigators who discovered them or of the adventurers who explored and
colonized them. The maritime enterprise of the Spanish and Portuguese
is in nothing so evident as in the territories named in accordance
with their respective languages in South and Central America, to
say nothing of the islands discovered by them in the Atlantic and
Pacific Oceans. And, as a set-off against the shameful treatment by
the Spaniards of Christopher Columbus, it must not be forgotten that
the whole of the North American territory now embraced in the United
States was originally designated Columbia in his honour, which name
has been preserved in the Western portion of the continent known as
British Columbia. A few Spanish names still linger in North America,
notably California, Labrador, Florida, Nevada, Oregon, and Colorado.
But the Spaniards were rovers rather than settlers; wherefore they
contented themselves with maintaining their national reputation as
successful navigators by giving names to the countries they discovered,
and establishing a lucrative trading monopoly in that portion of the
Caribbean Sea which formerly bore the name of the Spanish Main.
On the contrary, the English and French have distinguished themselves
always, and all the world over, as colonists; so that, saving those
States of North America which have received the native names of the
great lakes and rivers, we can discover exactly which were colonized
by the one nation and which by the other. Moreover, the English and
French have generally exercised the common trait of honouring the
mother country by naming a new colony or a newly-discovered island
after the reigning monarch or a distinguished countryman. A similar
trait in the Dutch character presents itself in the repetition of the
names of the native places of their navigators and colonists; while
the Spaniards and Portuguese have displayed a tendency for naming an
island discovered or a river explored by them in a manner commemorative
of the day that witnessed the event. At the same time, it would not be
wise to conjecture, merely from the name, that Columbus discovered the
island of Trinidad on the Feast of the Holy Trinity, because he did
nothing of the kind. Therefore, it behoves the curious inquirer to make
himself acquainted with the circumstances under which our geographical
names have arisen, so as to avoid falling into error. As well might he
maintain, without the requisite knowledge, that the Canary Islands owed
their designation to the birds that have so long been exported thence;
for although such a conclusion were extremely plausible, he would still
be at a loss to know how the canaries came by their name in the first
place.
A like difficulty is liable to be encountered relative to the Sandwich
Islands. A particularly smart boy might, indeed, be expected to inform
us, as the outcome of a hastily-formed opinion, that the Sandwich
Islands were so called because a shipwrecked crew who once found a
refuge thereon continued to support themselves until such time as they
were rescued by a passing vessel upon sandwiches. The bare idea may be
laughed at; but it is no more preposterous than that the Canary Islands
received their name from the birds that are found there in such plenty.
The question at issue furnishes an example as to how a name may be
perpetuated in different ways. Thus, Captain Cook named the Sandwich
Islands in compliment to John Montague, fourth Earl of Sandwich and
First Lord of the Admiralty, who took his title from Sandwich, or,
as the etymology of this place implies, the “sand town,” one of the
ancient Cinque Ports in Kent. An inveterate gamester was this Lord
Sandwich; so much so that he would sit at the gaming-table for thirty
hours and more at a stretch, never desisting from the game to partake
of a meal, but from time to time ordering the waiter to bring him some
slices of meat placed between two slices of thin bread, from which
circumstance this convenient form of refreshment received the name of
Sandwiches.
Mention of sandwiches reminds us that very few tradesmen possess
the remotest idea of the significance of the names of the various
commodities in which they deal. Ask a purveyor of ham and beef to
explain the origin of the word Sandwich, and he will be quite unable
to furnish an answer. Put a similar question to a Tobacconist, and
it will be found that he has never interested himself to the extent
of inquiring what the word Tobacco means, not to speak of the names
of the different kinds of tobacco. A Haberdasher, again, would be
sorely perplexed to account for his individual trade-name; so would a
Milliner, so would a Grocer, so would a Tailor; and so would almost
every one who passes for an intelligent citizen, yet whose reflections
have never been directed toward those trifling concerns which, as one
might be led to suppose, are most immediately interesting to him. And
so we might go on multiplying examples until this Introduction reached
an altogether inordinate length, with no other object than to arouse
the reader’s interest in the pages that follow. But the necessity for
a more extended Introduction does not arise. The scope of this work
will be sufficiently indicated by the Analytical Table of Contents; but
even there a very large number of names incidentally referred to in
the text have not been included. The Index may be somewhat more to the
purpose, inasmuch as every item set forth therein will be found not
merely alluded to but discussed in the book; and to the book itself the
reader is now referred.
L. W.
LONDON.
CONTENTS.
_THE COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD._
Asia, Africa, Europe, America; Palestine, Asia Minor; Persia,
Arabia, India, Hindustan, Turkestan, Afghanistan, Beloochistan,
Kurdestan; China, Siberia, Russia, Circassia, Crimea, Finland,
Sweden, Norway; Britain, England, Scotland, Caledonia, Ireland,
The Emerald Isle, Cambria, Wales; Saxony, Gaul, France,
Normandy, Brittany; Germany, Holland, Belgium, Denmark,
Jutland, Prussia, Bohemia, Hungary, Poland, Servia, Montenegro,
Bosnia, Moldavia, Moravia, Bulgaria, Roumania, Turkey, Ottoman
Empire, Greece; Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal;
Algiers, Morocco, Barbary, Sahara, Soudan, Egypt, Senegambia,
Gold Coast, Guinea, Zanzibar, Zululand, Transvaal, Natal,
Orange Free States, Cape Colony, Cape of Good Hope; Cape Horn,
Patagonia, Chili, Argentine Republic, Brazil, Bolivia, Uraguay,
Paraguay, Peru, Pernambuco, Ecuador, Columbia, Venezuela;
Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mosquito Coast,
Yutacan, Quatemala, Mexico, California, British Columbia;
Canada, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Labrador, Greenland,
New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Florida; Virginia, Maryland,
Baltimore, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Carolina, Louisiana, Maine,
New Orleans, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Michigan,
Indiana, Alabama, Nebraska, Ohio, Massachusetts, Wisconsin,
Kansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Minnesota,
Arkansas, Illinois, Oregon, Texas, Vermont, Colorado, Nevada,
Connecticut, Iowa, Astoria, Delaware; Lake Superior, Lake
Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, Niagara, Lake Michigan, Lake
Winnipeg, Great Bear Lake, Great Salt Lake; The Arctic Ocean,
Antarctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Caribbean Sea,
Mediterranean Sea, Adriatic Sea, Baltic Sea; German Ocean,
Indian Ocean, Irish Sea; White Sea, Black Sea, Red Sea, Green
Sea, Yellow Sea, Dead Sea, Caspian Sea, Sea of Marmora; The
Gulf Stream, The Horse Latitudes, The Spanish Main; Hudson’s
Bay, James’ Bay, Barrow’s Strait, All Saints’ Bay, Gulf of St.
Lawrence, Gulf of Carpentaria, Torres Strait, Botany Bay; St.
George’s Channel, The Skagerrack, Zuyder Zee; Bay of Biscay;
Strait of Gibraltar, The Bosphorus, The Dardanelles; Australia,
New Holland, New Zealand, Tasmania, Van Dieman’s Land, Society
Islands, Friendly Islands, Christmas Island, Sandwich Islands,
Philippine Islands, Caroline Islands; Papua, Java, Sumatra,
Borneo, Japan, Formosa, Ceylon, Mauritius, Isle of Bourbon,
Madagascar; Tierra del Fuego, Island of Desolation, Hanover
Island, Adelaide Island, Juan Fernandez, Ladrone Islands,
Pitcairn’s Island, Easter Island, Vancouver Island, Queen
Charlotte Island, Prince of Wales Island, Aleutian Islands;
Barrow Island, Baring Island, Parry Island, Baffin Land, Banks
Land, Newfoundland, Rhode Island, Long Island, Bermuda Islands,
San Salvador, Jamaica, Cuba, Hayti, Barbadoes, Dominica, Porto
Rico, Trinidad, Tobago Island, St. Kitt’s Island; Ascension
Island, St. Helena, Tristan d’Acunha, Madeira, Majorca,
Minorca, Balearic Islands, Corsica, Sardinia, Capri, Sicily,
Malta, Candia, Cyprus, Rhodes; Belleisle, Jersey, Isle of
Wight, Gothland, Heligoland, Anglesea, Isle of Man, Hebrides,
Orkney Isles, Shetland Isles, Iceland, Spitzbergen, Nova Zembla 35
_THE MONTHS AND DAYS OF THE WEEK._
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August,
September, October, November, December; Sunday, Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday 59
_CREEDS, SECTS, AND DENOMINATIONS._
Theism, Deism, Atheism, Pantheism, Agnosticism, Secularism,
Utilitarianism, Materialism, Rationalism; Monotheism, Mosaism,
Judaism, Paganism, Polytheism; Zoroastrians, Brahmins,
Buddhists, Mahommedans, Mussulmans, Islam; Christians,
Pharisees, Nazarenes, Gnostics, Aquarians, Arians, Luciferians,
Donatists, Macedonians, Apollinarians; Catholics; Greek
Church, Roman Catholic Church, Church of England, Gallican
Church, Lutheran Church; Protestants, Calvinists, Huguenots,
Wycliffites, Gospellers, Lollards, Albigenses, Waldenses,
Camisards, Hussites, Bedlamites, Moravians; Adamites,
Libertines, Jansenists, Jesuists, Gabrielites, Labadists,
Socinians, Arminians, New Christians, Old Catholics; Scotists,
Thomists, Sabbatarians, Fifth Monarchy Men, Muggletonians;
Seekers, Quakers, Shakers, Mormons, Peculiar People, Faith
Healers, Irvingites, Humanitarians, Sacramentarians, Plymouth
Brethren, Perfectionists, Hopkinsians; Scottish Covenanters,
Presbyterians, Cameronians, Macmillanites, Morisonians, Free
Church of Scotland; Puritans, Nonconformists, Conformists,
Dissenters, Sectarians, Independents, Congregationalists,
Unitarians, Trinitarians, Baptists, Anabaptists, Methodists,
Wesleyan Methodists, Primitive Methodists; High Church, Low
Church, Broad Church, Latitudinarism, Ritualists, Puseyites,
Tractarians 61
_TAVERN SIGNS._
The Green Man, The Green Man and Still, The Red Lion, The
Bear and Ragged Staff, The Boar’s Head, The Black Bull, The
Talbot, The Chequers; The White Rose, The Red Rose, The Star;
The White Swan, The White Swan and Antelope, The White Hart,
The Sun, The Three Suns, The White Lion, The Eagle, The Blue
Boar, The Red Dragon, The Greyhound, The Rose, The Thistle, The
Shamrock; The Crown, The Rose and Crown, The Crown and Sceptre,
The Crown and Anchor; The Earl of March; The Hare and Hounds,
The Tally Ho! The Fox in the Hole; The Angel, The Salutation,
The Three Kings, The Cross Keys, The Mitre; The Turk’s Head,
The Saracen’s Head, The Golden Cross, The Half Moon; The Swan,
The Pheasant, The Peacock; The St. George, The George and
Dragon, The Green Dragon, The George, The King’s Arms, The
Queen’s Arms, The Freemasons’ Arms, The Coachmakers’ Arms, The
Saddlers’ Arms, The Carpenters’ Arms; The Garter, The Star and
Garter; The Leg and Star, The Cat and Fiddle, The Bag o’ Nails,
The Goat and Compass, The Iron Devil, The Bull and Mouth, The
Bull and Gate, The Lion and Key, The Catherine Wheel, The Plume
and Feathers, The Bully Ruffian, The Blue Pig, The Pig and
Whistle; The Coach and Horses, The Pack Horse; The Bear, The
Dog and Duck, The Bowling Green; The Grapes, The Castle, The
Globe, The Spread Eagle, The Yorkshire Stingo; The Bell, The
Barley-mow, The Old Hat, The Ram and Teazle, The Bricklayers’
Arms, The Cricketers’ Arms, The Black Jack; The Royal Oak, The
Boscobel, The Palmerston, The Marquis of Granby, The Portobello
Arms, The Nelson, The Wellington, The Trafalgar, The Waterloo,
The Ship, The King’s Head, The Queen’s Head, The Victoria, The
Prince Albert, The Prince of Wales’ Feathers 77
_ROYAL SURNAMES._
Alfred the Great, Edward the Martyr, Ethelred the Unready,
Edmund Ironsides, Edgar Atheling, Harold Harefoot, Edward
the Confessor; William the Conqueror, William Rufus, Henry
Beauclerc, Richard Cœur de Lion, William the Lion, John
Lackland, Edward Longshanks, Edward the Black Prince, John
of Gaunt, Henry Bolingbroke; Bluff King Hal, Defender of the
Faith, The White Queen, Bloody Mary, Good Queen Bess; The Lord
Protector, The Merry Monarch, The Sailor King; Plantagenet,
Tudor, Stuart; Charlemagne, The She-Wolf of France, Pedro the
Cruel, Ivan the Terrible, Frederick Barbarossa, Ferdinand
Bomba, Egalité Philippe 87
_NATIONAL NICKNAMES._
Brother Jonathan, Uncle Sam, Yankee; John Bull, Mrs. Grundy,
The British Matron; Tommy Atkins; Pat, Sandie, Taffy; John
Chinaman, Pigtails, Pale Faces, Redskins; Nigger, Sambo,
Mulatto 93
_BIRDS._
Cuckoo, Pewit, Curlew, Chickadee, Whip-poor-will; Trumpeter,
Nightingale, Night-jar, Mocking-bird, Humming-bird, Greenfinch,
Goldfinch, Greenlet, Jay, Blue-bird, Blackbird, Starling,
Flamingo, Oriole, Lyre-bird; Red-poll, Secretary-bird; Birds
of Paradise, Love-birds; Kingfisher; Lapwing; Wagtail,
Scissors-bird, Hangbird, Weaver-bird, Tailor-bird; Widow-bird,
Martin, Muscovy Duck; Swift, Passenger-pigeon; Skylark,
Chaffinch, Diver, Sandpiper, Chimney-swallow; Horn-bill,
Boat-bill, Spoon-bill, Duck-bill, Cross-bill; Pouter-pigeon,
Ring-dove, Wryneck, Woodcock, Woodpecker; Guinea-fowl,
Brahma-fowl, Bantam, Barb, Turkey, Baltimore-bird, Canary,
Petrel 96
_RELIGIOUS ORDERS._
Monastery, Convent, Abbey, Priory; Monk, Nun, Friar; Dominicans
or Black Friars, Franciscans or Grey Friars; Carmelites or
White Friars, Augustines or Austin Friars, Trinitarians or
Crutched Friars; Observant Friars, Conventional Friars;
Capuchin Friars, Cordeliers; Benedictines, Carthusians,
Cistercians, Cluniacs, Bernardines, Basilians, Trappists;
Jesuists, Servites, Passionists, Redemptorists 100
_PAPER AND PRINTING._
Paper, Parchment; Hand-paper, Pot-paper, Post-paper,
Crown-paper, Foolscap; Nepaul-paper, India-paper, Cap-paper,
Elephant, Cartridge-paper, Bristol-board; Folio, Quarto,
Octavo, Duodecimo; Printer’s Devil; Hansard, Blue Book, Yellow
Book; Book, Leaf, Volume, Library; Pamphlet, Brochure, Chart,
Map, Atlas, Cartoon, Broadside, Poster, Stationery 104
_POLITICAL NICKNAMES._
Whigs, Tories, Liberals, Conservatives, Radicals, Socialists,
Levellers, Democrats; Royalists, Parliamentarians, Cavaliers,
Roundheads; Orangemen, Jacobites, Peep-o’-day Boys, White
Boys, Fenians, Irish Invincibles, Ribbonmen, Emergency Men;
Separists, Nationalists, Parnellites, Boycotters; Sansculottes,
Red Republicans, The Mountain, The Plain, Girondists; The Hats,
The Caps, Nihilists, Carbonari, Black Cloaks, Lazzari, Guelphs,
Ghibellines; Federals, Republicans, Democrats, Confederates,
Corn-feds, Yanks or Yankees, Copperheads, Know-nothings,
Tammany Ring, Mugwumps; Chartists, Jingoes, Protectionists 109
_FLOWERS._
Forget-me-not, Mignonette, Carnation, Geranium, Crane’s-bill;
Pansy, Camellia, Dahlia, Fuchsia, Victoria Regia, Adonis,
Hyacinth, Aspasia, Orchid, Sweetbriar, Lilac, Lavender;
Dog-rose, Damask-rose, Cabbage-rose, Christmas-rose,
Primrose; Mayflower, Hawthorn, Gilly-flower, Tiger-flower,
Daffodil, Hollyhock, Noon-tide, Noon-flower, Convolvulus,
Daisy, Buttercup, Cowslip; Sunflower, Heliotrope, Goldylocks,
Marigold, Chrysanthemum, Rhododendron; Passion-flower, Stock 117
_THE BIBLE._
Bible, Scriptures; Septuagint, Latin Vulgate, Douay Bible,
Rheims Bible; King James’s Bible, The Bishops’ Bible, Cranmer’s
Bible, The Great Bible, Mazarin Bible, Pearl Bible, Geneva
Bible, Breeches Bible, Vinegar Bible, Beer Bible, Treacle
Bible, Whig Bible, Wicked Bible, Bug Bible; “He” Bible, “She”
Bible; Virginia Bible; Pentateuch; Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, Deuteronomy; Apocrypha, Apocalypse 122
_WINES._
Burgundy, Champagne, Pontac, Moselle, Johannisberg, Florence,
Falernian, Montepulciano, Malaga, Sherry, Port, Cyprus,
Malmsey, Madeira, Canary; Tokay, Claret, Tent Wine; Sillery,
Pommery, Moet and Chandon; Hippocras, Badminton, Negus, Sack;
Dry Wine, Crusted Port, Three-Men Wine 127
_LITERARY SOBRIQUETS._
Gildas the Wise, Venerable Bede, Century White, Monk Lewis,
Rainy-Day Smith; Silver-Tongued Sylvester, The Water Poet,
The Ettrick Shepherd, The Bidëford Postman, The Mad Poet, The
Quaker Poet, The Banker Poet, Anacreon Moore, Orion Home, The
Farthing Poet; The Wizard of the North, The Addison of the
North, The Minstrel of the Border, The Corn Law Rhymer 130
_THE COUNTIES OF ENGLAND AND WALES._
Northumberland, Cumberland, Westmoreland, Durham, York;
Lancashire, Cheshire, Leicestershire, Worcestershire,
Gloucestershire; Lincoln, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Sussex,
Middlesex; Surrey, Kent, Hampshire, Dorset, Somerset,
Devon, Cornwall, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Buckingham; Oxford,
Hertford, Hereford, Stafford, Bedford, Cambridge, Huntingdon,
Northampton, Rutland, Warwick, Nottingham, Derby, Shropshire,
Monmouth; Anglesea, Glamorgan, Brecknock, Radnor, Montgomery,
Denbigh, Flint, Carnarvon, Carmarthen, Merioneth, Cardigan,
Pembroke 133
_CARRIAGES._
Phaeton, Victoria, Clarence, Brougham, Stanhope, Sociable,
Landau, Tilbury; Dog-Cart, Buggy, Gig, Sulky, Noddy, Jaunting
Car, Break; Stage-Coach, Omnibus; Hackney-Coach, Coach, Cab,
Cabriolet, Hansom Cab; Hearse, Pantechnicon 138
_DANCES._
Terpsichorean Art; Morris Dance, Saraband, Gavotte, Quadrille,
Lancers, Polka, Schottische, Mazourka, Redowa, Waltz; Country
Dance, Roger de Coverley, Minuet, Tarantella; Cinderella Dance,
Ball, Ballet, Coryphée, Phyrric Dance; Hornpipe, Reel, Jig,
Breakdown 142
_PIGMENTS AND DYES._
Umber, Sienna, Gamboge, Krems White, Prussian Blue, Saunders
Blue, Chinese Yellow, Frankfort Black, Hamburg Lake;
Ultramarine; Mazarine, Pompadour, Cardinal, Carnation, Carmine,
Pink, Purple, Scarlet, Crimson; Cassius, Magenta, Vandyke
Brown, Sepia, Sap Green, Emerald Green, Lamp Black, Ivory
Black, Isabel 146
_LONDON DISTRICTS AND SUBURBS._
London, Thames; Westminster, Belgravia, Pimlico, Knightsbridge,
Mayfair, Soho, Bloomsbury, Smithfield, Clerkenwell, Spa
Fields, Bunhill Fields, Moorfields, Finsbury; Shoreditch,
Whitechapel, Goodman’s Fields, Shadwell, Ratcliffe Highway,
Stepney, Spitalfields, Bethnal Green, Hoxton, De Beauvoir
Town, Copenhagen Fields, Haggerstone, Hackney, Dalston, Stoke
Newington, Southgate, Kingsland, Abney Park, Green Lanes,
Edmonton, Ball’s Pond, Mildmay Park, Muswell Hill, Wood Green,
Hornsey, Canonbury, Highbury, Holloway, Barnsbury, Islington;
King’s Cross, St. Pancras, Agar Town, Somers Town, Camden Town,
Kentish Town, Primrose Hill, Highgate, Hampstead, Frognal,
Bishop’s Wood, Hendon; Gospel Oak, Chalk Farm, St. John’s Wood,
Kilburn, Maida Vale, Marylebone, Tyburn; Bayswater, Paddington,
Westbourne Park, Notting Hill, Shepherd’s Bush; Acton,
Gunnersbury, Kew, Brentford, Isleworth, Staines, Kingston,
Shepperton, Twickenham, Richmond, Sheen; Chiswick, Hammersmith,
Kensington, Brompton, Chelsea, Battersea, Walham Green,
Parsons Green, Fulham, Putney, Wimbledon; Wandsworth, Lambeth,
Vauxhall; Southwark, Bermondsey, Horsleydown, Walworth, The
Borough; Rotherhithe, Deptford, Greenwich, Woolwich, Isle
of Dogs, New Cross; Lewisham, Blackheath, Eltham; Catford,
Beckenham, Sydenham, Forest Hill, Norwood, Dulwich, Honor Oak,
Nunhead, Peckham, Brixton, Camberwell, Stockwell, Kennington,
Newington, St. George’s Fields 149
_BATTLES._
The Tearless Victory, The Thundering Legion, The Hallelujah
Victory; The Battle of the Standard, The Battle of the
Herrings; The Battle of Spurs; The Battle of the Spurs of Gold;
The Battle of the Giants, The Battle of All the Nations 163
_NOTABLE DAYS AND FESTIVALS._
New Year’s Day; Whitsuntide, Lammastide, Martinmas, Candlemas
Day; Lady Day, Midsummer, Michaelmas, Christmas Day; Innocents’
Day, Epiphany, Twelfth Night, Distaff’s Day, Rock Day, Plough
Monday, Handsel Monday, Boxing Day; Lent, Shrove Tuesday,
Ash Wednesday, Passion Sunday, Passion Week, Palm Sunday,
Maunday-Thursday, Good Friday, Long Friday, Holy Saturday;
Easter, Passover, Low Sunday, Sexagesima Sunday, Quinquagesima
Sunday, Quadragesima Sunday; Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, Corpus
Christi, Rogation Sunday, Rogation Days, Ember Days; Ascension
Day, The Assumption, Holy Cross Day, All Saints’ Day, All
Souls’ Day, Allhallowes’ Day; Allhallowe’en, Cracknut Night;
St. Valentine’s Day, St. Swithin’s Day, St. David’s Day, Comb’s
Mass; Primrose Day, Royal Oak Day, Guy Fawkes’ Day; Arbor Day;
Forefathers’ Day, Independence Day, Evacuation Day; Mothering
Sunday; Grouse Day, Partridge Day, Sprat Day; Red Letter Day,
Holiday 165
_TEXTILES, EMBROIDERIES, AND LACE._
Damask, Muslin, Nankeen, Calico, Cashmere, Dimity, Valance,
Holland, Cambric, Shalloon, Tarlatan, Worsted, Cobourg, Angola,
Frieze; Cotton, Silk, Brocade, Damassin, Sarsanet, Mohair,
Moire-Antique, Chintz, Taffety, Linen, Lawn, Pompadour;
Swansdown, Moleskin, Merino, Alpaca; Kersey, Gingham,
Blankets; Plush, Velvet, Velveteen, Fustian, Grogram, Corduroy;
Pina-cloth, Grass-cloth, T-cloth, Broadcloth, Twill, Tweed,
Plaid, Check; Embroidery, Tapestry, Bayeaux Tapestry, Gobelin
Tapestry, Arras; Lace, Valenciennes, Colbertine, Point-lace,
Pillow-lace; Tulle 176
_LITERARY PSEUDONYMS._
Voltaire, Barry Cornwall, Yendys, Nimrod, Zadkiel;
Knickerbocker, Elia, Boz, Ouida, George Sand; Artemus Ward,
Mark Twain; F. M. Allen 181
_COUNTERFEIT PRESENTMENTS._
Portrait, Photograph, Miniature, Profile, Silhouette;
Talbotype, Daguerreotype, Ferriertype; Carte-de-Visite,
Vignette, Cabinet, Kit-Kat, Kit-Kat Canvas 184
_LONDON INNS AND GARDENS._
The Tabard Inn, “La Belle Sauvage,” The Swan with Two Necks,
The Elephant and Castle, The Horse Shoe, The Blue Posts, The
Black Posts, The Three Chairmen, The Running Footman; The
Mother Red Cap, The Mother Shipton, The Adelaide, The York and
Anlaby, Jack Straw’s Castle, The Spaniards, The Whittington
Stone, The Thirteen Cantons, The North Pole, The South
Australian, The World’s End, The Fulham Bridge, The Devil, The
Three Nuns, The White Conduit Tavern, The Belvedere, The Clown
Tavern, Hummuns’s; Sadler’s Wells, Highbury Barn, Vauxhall
Gardens, Ranelagh Gardens, Cremorne Gardens 187
_SOBRIQUETS AND NICKNAMES._
The Mother of Believers, Fair Helen, Fair Rosamond, The Fair
Maid of Kent, The Holy Maid of Kent; Black Agnes, Fair Maiden
Lilliard, The Maid of Orleans, The Maid of Saragossa; The
Lady Freemason, The Swedish Nightingale, The Jersey Lily; The
Weeping Philosopher, The Laughing Philosopher, The Subtle
Doctor, The Angelic Doctor, St. Paul of the Cross; Robin Hood,
Little John, Will Scarlet, Friar Tuck; Sixteen-string Jack,
Spring-heel Jack; Gentleman Jack, Gentleman Smith, Admirable
Crichton, Fighting Fitzgerald, Romeo Coates, Beau Fielding,
Beau Brummell, Beau Nash, The King of Bath; The Factory King,
The Railway King, The Paper King, The Nitrate King; The Man
of Ross, The People’s Friend, The Musical Small-Coal Man, Tom
Folio; The Infant Roscius; Single-Speech Hamilton, Starvation
Dundas, Orange Peel, The Heaven-Sent Minister, Finality
John; Dizzy, The Grand Old Man, Bookstall Smith; The Dancing
Chancellor, Praise-God Barebones; Sinner-Saved Huntingdon,
Orator Henley; Memory Woodfall, Memory-Corner Thompson; Dirty
Dick; Capability Brown, George Ranger, The Jubilee Plunger;
Long Peter, Magdalen Smith, Claude Lorraine, Tintoretto, Il
Furioso; The Scottish Hogarth, The Liverpool Landseer; The
Liberator; The Pathfinder; Yankee Jonathan 194
_THE INNS OF COURT._
Lincoln’s Inn, Gray’s Inn, Furnival’s Inn, Clifford’s Inn;
Serjeants’ Inn; Barnard’s Inn, Staple Inn, Clement’s Inn,
Dane’s Inn, New Inn, Thavie’s Inn; Benchers 208
_RACES._
Goodwood, Ascot, Epsom, Derby, Oaks, Doncaster St. Leger;
Hurdle Race, Steeplechase; Sweepstake 210
_LONDON CHURCHES AND BUILDINGS._
Westminster Abbey, The Temple, Savoy Chapel, St. Clement-Danes,
St. Mary-le-Bow, St. Mary-Axe, St. Catherine Cree, St.
Catherine Coleman, St. Margaret Pattens, St. Sepulchre, St.
Bride’s, St. Andrew Undershaft, Allhallowes, Barking; St.
Olave’s, The White Tower, Bloody Tower, Beauchamp Tower,
Traitors’ Gate; Newgate, St. John’s Gate, Temple Bar, London
Bridge, Billingsgate, The Mint, The Trinity House; Crosby
Hall, Memorial Hall, The Guildhall, Doctors’ Commons, St.
Martin’s-le-Grand; The Charterhouse, Christ’s Hospital,
Bartholomew’s Hospital, Guy’s Hospital, Bedlam, The Magdalen
Hospital; St. James’s Palace, Buckingham Palace, Marlborough
House, Somerset House, Whitehall, The Horse Guards, Dover
House, York House; Devonshire House, Apsley House, Chandos
House, The Albany, Burlington House, Soane Museum; Painted
Hall, Vanburgh Castle, Rye House; Bruce Castle, Lincoln House,
Sandford House, Cromwell House, Ireton House, Lauderdale House,
The Clock House, Rosslyn House, Erskine House; Strawberry Hill;
Orleans House, Essex House, Bristol House, Craven Cottage,
Munster House, Peterborough House, Holland House; The Albert
Hall, Crystal Palace, Alexandra Palace, Olympia, Egyptian Hall,
St. George’s Hall, St. James’s Hall, Willis’s Rooms, Almack’s
Assembly Rooms, Exeter Hall, Madame Tussaud’s; Scotland Yard,
Lord’s Cricket Ground, Tattersall’s; Lloyd’s Rooms; Capel
Court, The Royal Exchange, The Stock Exchange, Bankers’
Clearing House, Railway Clearing House 212
_CLASS NAMES AND NICKNAMES._
Spinster, Widow, Grass Widow, Chaperon, Duenna, Dowager; Blue
Stocking, Abigail, Grisette, Colleen; Milliner, Haberdasher,
Grocer, Greengrocer, Boniface, Ostler; Cordwainer, Tailor,
Tallyman, Uncle, Barber, Barber-Surgeon; Arcadian, Mentor,
Usher, Bachelor; Beefeaters, Police, Bobbies, Peelers, Bow
Street Runners; Mohawks, Scourers; Garrotters, Sandbaggers;
Fop, Dandy, Macaroni, Masher; Gipsies, Bohemians; Teetotalers,
Rechabites, Good Templars; Jack Tar, Longshoreman, Navvy, Jehu,
Jerrybuilder, Journeyman; Dun, Man of Straw, Costermonger,
Pedlar, Hawker, Cheap Jack, Quack, Merry Andrew, Juggler, Stump
Orator; Blackguard, Scullion, Scullery Maid; Blackleg; Plunger,
Bookmaker, Welsher; Burglar, Jack Ketch; Cockney; Greenhorn,
Nincompoop, Lunatic, Dutchman, Humbug 228
_MALT LIQUORS._
Ale, Beer, Small Beer; Twopenny, Half-and-Half, Entire, Porter,
Stout, Yorkshire Stingo, X Ale; Mum, Lager-bier, Bock-bier 241
_DIAMONDS AND PRECIOUS STONES._
Diamond; The Kohinoor, Mattan, Orloff, Shah, Star of the South,
Sauci, Regent, Pitt, Pigott, Dudley, Twin Diamonds; Turquoise,
Topaz, Agate, Amethyst, Opal, Emerald, Garnet, Ruby, Pearl;
Carat 244
_NAVAL AND MILITARY SOBRIQUETS._
Manlius-Torquatus, Charles Martel, Robert the Devil, The Hammer
and Scourge of England; Black Douglas, Bell the Cat, The King
Maker, Hotspur, The Mad Cavalier; Ironsides, The Almighty Nose;
The Bloody Butcher, Corporal John, The Little Corporal; The
Iron Duke, Marshal Forward, The Iron Chancellor, Helmuth the
Taciturn; Stonewall Jackson, Old Hickory; Foul-Weather Jack,
Old Grog, The Silver Captain 246
_MONEY._
Money, Sterling Money; Guinea, Sovereign, Crown, Florin,
Shilling, Penny; Halfpenny, Farthing; Ducat, Noble,
Rose-Noble, George-Noble; Angel, Thistle-Crown, Jacobus,
Carollus, Dolphin, Louis d’or, Napoleon; Franc, Dollar,
Joachims-Thaler, Thaler, Kreuzer; Wood’s Halfpence, Greenbacks,
Bluebacks, Abraham Newlands; Bullion, Stock, Tally, Consols,
Sinking Fund, Tontine; Budget 252
_SPIRITS._
Rum, Whisky, Brandy, Gin; Hollands, Cognac, Nantes, Old Tom;
Punch, Toddy, Grog; Mountain Dew, Glenlivet, LL Whisky 257
_LONDON STREETS AND SQUARES._
Fleet Street, Salisbury Court, Whitefriars Street, Blackfriars
Road, Ludgate Hill, Old Bailey, Friar Street, Sermon Lane,
Paul’s Chain, Old Change, Paternoster Row, Ave Maria Lane,
Creed Lane, Amen Corner, Warwick Lane, Ivy Lane; Cheapside,
Bread Street, Friday Street, Milk Street; Gutter Lane, Foster
Lane, Ironmonger Lane, Wood Street, Lawrence Lane, Gresham
Street, Lad Lane, Aldermanbury, King Street, Basinghall Street,
Coleman Street, Old Jewry, Poultry, Bucklersbury, King William
Street, Queen Victoria Street; Cannon Street, Budge Row,
Watling Street, Walbrook, College Hill, Queenhithe, Dowgate,
Steelyard; Gracechurch Street, Fenchurch Street, Eastcheap,
Mincing Lane, Mark Lane, Rood Lane, Seething Lane, Billiter
Street, Minories, Crutched Friars, Aldgate; Leadenhall Street,
St. Mary-Axe, Throgmorton Street, Nicholas Lane, Lolhbury,
Threadneedle Street, Cornhill, Birchin Lane, Change Alley;
Lombard Street; Austin Friars, Old Broad Street, Bishopsgate
Street, St. Helen’s, Devonshire Square, Artillery Lane,
Houndsditch, Bevis Marks, Petticoat Lane, Wormwood Street,
Camomile Street, London Wall, Barbican, Beech Lane, Great
Winchester Street, Moorgate Street, Cripplegate, Whitecross
Street, Redcross Street, Playhouse Yard, Jewin Street,
Aldersgate Street, Bridgewater Square, Bartholomew Close,
Cloth Fair, Little Britain, Duke Street, Newgate Street, Bath
Street, King Edward Street, Giltspur Street, Knightrider
Street, Pie Corner, Farringdon Road, Saffron Hill, Ely Place,
Hatton Garden, Holborn, Holborn Bars, Leather Lane, Fetter
Lane, Brooke Street, Greville Street, Gray’s Inn Road, Furnival
Street, Dyer’s Buildings, Cursitor Street, Chancery Lane;
Southampton Buildings, Verulam Buildings; Lincoln’s Inn Fields,
Great Queen Street, Long Acre; Drury Lane, Denzil Street,
Holles Street, Clare Market, White Hart Street, Catherine
Street, Portugal Street, Serle Street, Wych Street, Holywell
Street, Strand; Essex Street, Milford Lane, Arundel Street,
Norfolk Street, Surrey Street, Howard Street, Savoy Street,
Wellington Street, Bow Street, Covent Garden, York Street, King
Street, Henrietta Street, Tavistock Street, Bedford Street,
Southampton Street, Bedfordbury, Maiden Lane, Chandos Street,
Exeter Street, Burleigh Street, Cecil Street, Salisbury Street,
Adelphi Terrace, Adam Street, John Street, Robert Street, James
Street; George Street, Duke Street, Buckingham Street, Villiers
Street; Charing Cross, Craven Street, Northumberland Avenue;
Trafalgar Square, St. Martin’s Lane, King William Street, Seven
Dials, Cranbourne Street, Leicester Square, Coventry Street,
Windmill Street, Haymarket, Jermyn Street, Arundel Street,
Orange Street, Panton Street, Suffolk Street; Spring Gardens,
Pall Mall, King Street, St. James’s Square, Bury Street; Green
Park, Hyde Park, Rotten Row, Albert Gate, Marble Arch, Rutland
Gate, Cumberland Gate, Grosvenor Gate, Stanhope Gate, Park
Lane, Portugal Street, Chapel Street, Chesterfield Street,
Grosvenor Square, Hamilton Place; Piccadilly; Curzon Street,
Charles Street, Queen Street, Shepherd’s Market, Hay Hill,
Farm Street, Berkeley Square, Stratton Street, Bruton Street,
Mount Street, Clarges Street, Half Moon Street, Arlington
Street, Bennett Street, Dover Street, Albemarle Street, Bond
Street, Clifford Street, Burlington Street, Cork Street,
Savile Row, Vigo Street, Sackville Street, Ayr Street, Swallow
Street, Vine Street; Regent Street; Conduit Street, Maddox
Street, Brook Street, Mill Street, George Street, Hanover
Square, Davies Street; Argyll Street, Great Marlborough Street,
Blenheim Street, Wardour Street, Nassau Street, Golden Square,
Shaftesbury Avenue; Old Compton Street, New Compton Street,
Dean Street, Gerrard Street, Macclesfield Street, Greek Street,
Carlisle Street; Hanway Street, Rathbone Place, Newman Street,
Goodge Street, Castle Street, Wells Street, Berners Street,
Foley Street, Charlotte Street, Great Titchfield Street,
Grafton Street, Fitzroy Square, Euston Square, Southampton
Street, Tottenham Court Road; Oxford Street, Harley Street,
Wigmore Street, Cavendish Square, Holles Street, Henrietta
Street, Bentinck Street, Margaret Street, Duchess Street,
Portland Place, Welbeck Street, Wimpole Street, Stratford
Place, Langham Place, Mansfield Street, Vere Street, Manchester
Square, Spanish Place, Chandos Street, Hinde Street, Audley
Street, Old Quebec Street, Seymour Street, Montague Square,
Berkeley Square, Portman Square, Bryanstone Square, Blandford
Square, Dorset Square, Baker Street, Harewood Square, Lisson
Grove, Ossulton Square; Regent’s Park, Albany Street, Osnaburg
Street, Munster Square, Park Street, Brecknock Road, Great
College Street, Oakley Square, Ampthill Square, Harrington
Square, Mornington Crescent, Granby Street, Skinner Street;
Pancras Road, Battle Bridge Road, York Road, Caledonian Road,
Liverpool Street, Sidmouth Street, Burton Crescent, Judd
Street, Great Coram Street, Lamb’s Conduit Street, Harpur
Street, Bedford Row, Southampton Row, Russell Square, Tavistock
Square, Gordon Square, Torrington Square, Montague Street,
Brunswick Square, Mecklenburgh Square; Thurlow Place, Great
Ormond Street, Bloomsbury Square; Queen’s Square, Red Lion
Square, Kingsgate Street, Theobald’s Road; Coldbath Square, Ray
Street, Rosoman Street, Berkeley Street, Hockley-in-the-Hole;
Myddleton Square, Pentonville Road; St. John Street Road,
City Road, Shepherdess Walk, Curtain Road, Holywell Lane;
Nichols Square, Sutton Place, Queen Elizabeth’s Walk, Fleetwood
Road; Seven Sisters Road, Archway Road, Flask Walk; Judges’
Walk; Fleet Road, Dale Road, Barrow Hill Place, Abbey Road;
Desborough Place, Church Street, Nottingham Place, Paddington
Street; Craven Hill Gardens; Southwick Crescent, Orme Square,
Ladbroke Grove, Norland Square, Kensington Gore, Ennismore
Place, Cromwell Road, Gloucester Road; Campden Hill, Warwick
Road, Holland Road, Earl’s Court Road, Addison Road; Cromwell
Place, King’s Road, Cheyne Walk, Justice Walk, Marlborough
Road, Keppel Street, Cadogan Square, Sloane Street, Hans Place,
Danvers Street; Grosvenor Place, Eccleston Square, Belgrave
Square, Ebury Square, Chester Square, Eaton Square, Lupus
Street, St. George’s Square, Lowndes Square, Chesham Street;
Vauxhall Bridge Road, Victoria Street; Birdcage Walk, Storey’s
Gate, Queen Anne’s Gate, Delahay Street, Rochester Row, Bridge
Street, Cannon Street, King Street, Princes Street, Parker
Street, Great George Street, Abingdon Street, Holywell Street,
Barton Street, Cowley Street, Marsham Street, Earl Street,
Romney Street, Pye Street, Great Peter Street, Vine Street,
Orchard Street, Tothill Street, Horseferry Road; Newington
Butts, Great Suffolk Street, Mint Street, Old Kent Road, Grange
Road, Spa Road, Russell Street, Tooley Street, Jamaica Road,
Cherry Gardens Pier, Evelyn Street 259
_THE COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD._
The oldest of the four great divisions of the world received its modern
designation =Asia= from the Sanskrit _Ushas_, signifying “land of the
dawn.” =Africa= traces its origin to the Phœnician _afer_, a black man,
and the Sanskrit _ac_, the earth, a country. =Europe= owes its name
to the Greek _eurus_, broad, and _op_, to see, or _ops_, the face, in
allusion to “the broad face of the earth.” =America= honours the memory
of Amerigo Vespucci, the Florentine navigator, who landed on the New
Continent south of the Equator, the year after Columbus discovered the
northern mainland in 1498. The name of America first appeared in a work
published by Waldsemüller at St. Die, in Lorraine, in the year 1507.
It is worthy of note that when Columbus landed in America he imagined
he had set foot on part of that vast territory east of the Ganges
vaguely known as India; therefore he gave the name of =Indians= to the
aborigines. This also accounts for the islands in the Caribbean Sea
being styled the =West Indies=.
The cradle of the human race bears the name of =Palestine=, or in
Hebrew _Palestina_, meaning “the land of strangers,” agreeably to the
native word _palash_, to wander. Palestine is usually denominated the
=Holy Land=, because it was the scene of the birth, life, and death of
the Redeemer. =Asia Minor= is, of course, Lesser Asia.