In the preparation of this Dictionary, the wide field of general literature has been extensively and carefully searched. Moreover, use has been made of a large number of works specially devoted to the various branches of literary history; and valuable assistance has been derived from the principal Reviews, and the published writings of the best essayists. Not a few noteworthy names and facts, incidentally mentioned in the body of the articles of Encyclopædias, Biographical Dictionaries, Gazetteers, and other works of reference, but not treated in alphabetical order, have been carefully gleaned from such works, which have been systematically searched for this purpose. These sources of information are altogether too numerous to be particularized in this place, while to specify a few and make no mention of others of equal importance would be as unjust as it would be unsatisfactory. The author would return his sincere thanks to the many friends who have contributed in different ways to the completeness and accuracy of his work. Some of them, whose kind assistance he would gladly acknowledge, he regrets that he is not permitted to name; but it affords him unfeigned pleasure to be able to mention his great and varied obligations to Dr. Robley Dunglison and Dr. R. Shelton Mackenzie of Philadelphia, Mr. Charles Folsom of Cambridge, Mr. Samuel Porter of Hartford, Mr. Arthur W. Wright of New Haven, and Mr. Loomis J. Campbell of Boston. Believing that the successful accomplishment of a task like the present, in its fullest extent, is hardly to be expected of any individual, the author, in conclusion, would ask a candid criticism of his labors; and if corrections or suggestions from any quarter- especially suggestions of additional names, accompanied with explanations, references, or citations-be sent to him through his publishers, they will be gratefully received, and used in the preparation of a future edition. KEY TO THE SCHEME OF PRONUNCIATION. Å, â, as in E, ē, long, as in . Ê, ê, like â, as in E, ĕ, like i, as in É, 8, like ā, as in I, I, long, as in Î, î, like ē, as in Ō, ō, long, as in Ŏ, ŏ, short, as in Ô, ô, as in . Ỗ, õ, like ά, as in Ô, ô, like oo, as in Ū, u, long, as in Ỡ, û, as in VOWELS. Ale, fate, great, prāy, rānge, taste. [See § 1.] Aerial, Israel, chaotic, mortmain. Âir, fâre, peâr, prâyer, scârce. [See § 3.] Wắn, swallow, quadrant. Årm, ȧunt, gråss, [Fr.] pâte (påt). [See § 2.] Eve, mēte, beam, cēil, piēce, people. Brier, general, robber, suffer. Ivy, ice, pine, child, aisle, height, tie. Ōld, tōne, fōe, snow, sōul, yeōman. [See § 5.] Obey, borrow, [Fr.] homme (om). [See § 5.] Come, does, done, blood, touch. [Ger.] böse (bö/ză), [Fr.] jeu (zhö). [See §§ 43, 46.] Author, carol, ransom, connect. Ūse, cube, tūne, lute, feudal. [See § 6.] Unite, agüe, cupidity, globule. ,, like oo, as in Ũ, ũ, as in Ü, ü, as in Ỹ, y, long, as in Ỹ, ỹ, like ẽ, as in Æ, æ, like e, as in Œ, ce, like e, as in EW, ew, . Nýmph, lyric, mythic, symbol. Cæsar (long), Eschylus (short). like u, as in... Ewe, dew, few, new (=ū), crew (=õõ). OI, oi, as in. Oyster, boy, employ, joyous, royal. Foot, good, stood, woolly. CONSONANTS. Çent, city, cyst, açid, flacçid, success. Çage, coal, cure, flaccid, success. Chaise, çhampagne, maçhine. Chasm, chaos, character, echo. Chance, cheer, church, teacher. [See § 8.] Get, give, tiger, foggy. Ġem, gender, giant, elegy. [Sp.] Jorge (hor/ha), hijo (ee’ho). [See § 60.] Singing, hanger, prolong, young. [Fr.] mer (mêr), [Sp.] rata (rå'tå). [See § 64.] ...... Example, exemplary, uxorious. In addition to what appears in the Key, the following explanations will be needed for understanding the notation made use of in this Dictionary: Diacritical marks have been dispensed with, in the case of English names, wherever it seemed that the accentuation and the division into syllables would be sufficient to indicate the true pronunciation to any one familiar with the more general and commonly-understood principles of English orthoëpy; but, in all exceptional, doubtful, or difficult cases, the appropriate marks are used. Most of the names from modern foreign languages are respelt. In combinations of vowels, where one letter is marked, it is to be taken as representing the sound of the combination, and the letter or letters which are not marked are to be regarded as silent; as in grain, deal, sēize, tie, dōor, grôup, journey, flow, &c. The combined letters ce, ci, sci, se, si, or ti, occurring before a vowel in a syllable immediately preceded by an accented syllable, are generally equivalent to sh; as in o'cean, sapona'ceous, coercion, magi'cian, an'cient, gra'cious, omni/science, nau'seous, tranʼsient, pa'tience, vexa'tious, proba/tion, &c. But if the combination si, when thus situated, is at the same time preceded by a vowel, it has the sound represented by the digraph zh; as in eli'sion, explo'sion, suffu’sion, &c. Such syllables are not usually respelt, as, in general, they will naturally be pronounced correctly by an English speaker. In respelling for pronunciation, aw and ee are often used instead of ȧ and ĕ respectively. In the notation of dû and oŵ (as in ounce, owl), the mark over the o [*] is intended to suggest the first element of the diphthong, namely, a as in arm (marked a), and the circumflex [^] over the u and the w, to indicate the second element, namely, u as in true (marked ú). The sounds represented by d, e, t, ô, ù, ŷ, are essentially the same in quality as the proper long sounds of these vowels, but differ in quantity, being less protracted in utterance. In respelling foreign names for pronunciation, à, è (or e), and o, are generally used instead of ā, ē, and ō, unless a full accent falls upon the vowel. The marked letters a, e, i, o, u, y, represent the sound of "the neutral vowel," or u as in us, urn. They occur only in unaccented syllables. Diacritical signs placed above these letters are intended to indicate their normal or theoretical value. Thus, salad, cymbal, altar, hillock, lion, sailor, ballot, confess, would regularly be pronounced sal'ăd, cym'băl, al'tår, hil'lock, li'on, sail'õr, bal'löt, con-fess', but in fluent, and particularly in colloquial, utterance, the unaccented vowel is apt to suffer a corruption or change of its distinctive quality, falling into the easier sound of the neutral vowel, so that the actual or customary pronunciation of the words in question is sal'ud, cym'bul, al'tur, hil'luck, li'un, sail'ur, bal'lut, cun-fess'. They may, therefore, be printed thus: — sal'ăd, cym'bặt, altar, hil lọck, lượn, sailor, bal/lặt, cặn-fess′. The letter s is doubled, in the orthoëpical respelling, to indicate the "sharp" or hissing sound of this member of the alphabet, in cases where a single s would be liable to be pronounced like z; as expense (eks-penss'). |