St. John's Wood, May 27. 1850.
I do not know the reason for the rule your correspondent Mr. S.
HICKSON lays down, that such a noun as "news" could not be formed
according to English analogy. Why not as well as "goods, the shallows,
blacks, for mourning, greens?" There is no singular to any of these as
nouns.
_Noise_ is a French word, upon which Menage has an article. There can
be no doubt that he and others whom he quotes are right, that it
is derived from _noxa_ or _noxia_ in Latin, meaning "strife." They
quote:--
"Sæpe in conjugiis fit noxia, cum nimia est dos."
_Ausonius_.
"In mediam noxiam perfertur."
_Petronius_.
"Diligerent alia, et noxas bellumque moverent."
_Manilius_.
It is a great pity that we have no book of reference for English
analogy of language.