Selected quad for the lemma: word_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
word_n	proper_a	sense_n	signification_n	2,806	5	9.7840	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A63981	Cicero redivivus, or, The art of oratory refin'd being two essays of elegancy : the first, containing plain and easie rules for scholars to make eloquent Latin, the second, usefull directions for young gentlemen and students to adorn their discourse and writings with a refin'd and genteel style / by John Twells, School-Master.	Twells, John, b. 1651 or 2.	1688 (1688)	Wing T3394; ESTC R5342	37,896	114

it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is so great a plainness of Speech as that the things seem to be set before the eyes A. What are the vices contrary to this vertue B. The vices contrary to Perspicuity are Obscurity and Ambiguity A. When may a Sentence be said to be obscure B. When it can scarce be understood as that of Varro Omnia dapatilia comîsse Jani cusiones for Omnia opipara comedisse Jani Curiones A. Whence ariseth this obscurity B. This obscurity proceeds from words unknown to the People A. What Sentence may be said to be ambiguous B. That which admits of a various interpretation as if a man should say Peto jus he may mean either jusculum or justitiam A. Whence ariseth this ambiguity B. It ariseth from equivocal or homonymous words Therefore a word that is obscure homonymous or too general is like a Rock to be avoided by him that has a mind to speak perspicuously For this reason in our familiar discourse we say not Clepta or Directarius but Fur nor jus but jusculum nor rem inveni but hoc or illud Or if such a word should thrust it self in let another word more common distinct special be immediately subjoyned to enlighten limit the former or let some explicatory discretive or determinative epithet be added as Clepta quod Latinis furem sonat Jus seu jusculum Rem perdidit nempe bona sua Or Clepta furax Jus coctum Rem possessam perdidit Words that by chance light into the same termination may sometimes be changed into another free from ambiguity as if you should say Tu canis 't will be uncertain whether you call any one a Dog or mean he sings If the first you will speak more clearly by an Adjective Tu impure Canis or Tu latras ut Canis If the latter you had better say Tu cantas c. Or they are to be discriminated by an accent if possible either pronounced or marked as venit in the present tense from vênit in the preterperfect tense Moreover he that desires to acquire this great Ornament must studiously avoid Amphibolie that is such a placing of the words as may render the sense doubtful Such is that in Terence Adeò uno animo omnes Socrus oderunt Nurus for one would be at a stand scarcely discerning whether Socrus was the Nominative Plural and Nurus the Accusative or contrariwise It is supposed the Poet so placed the words with a design to set out the reciprocal odium between Mothers-in-law and Daughters-in-law which if so 't was artificially done A. Must then words that are obscure homonymous of a more general signification and amphibolous be for ever interdicted a studied clarity B. To your four-fold question I answer distinctly thus 1. An obscure word appositely used and in its right place is commendable as if there be any thing you would not have all men indifferently understand but some one only that is privy to your counsels and purposes or some few of the more sagacious With these did Cicero fill his Epistles to Atticus a wise man and his intimate friend 2. An homonymous word in its proper place ceaseth to be such because words are understood according to the subject matter For example A Cook speaks not ambiguously that says Jus piscinum or an Astronomer that says Sol in piscibus An homonymous word set on purpose for the ambiguity of the sense is a pleasant elegancy As when Tully said that Octavius was laudandum tollendum for he might be understood either tollendum esse laudibus or tollendum de vitâ 3. Words of a very general signification are happily homonymous for they augment the treasure of the Language with variety of Elegancies Such are these Latine Nouns Res Vis Locus Natura Substantia Genus Species and the Verbs Sum Habeo Facio Do Gero c. 4. Words of a doubtful meaning fitly disposed in the same Sentence increase the Elegancy as Jura te velle servare jura And Lingua puerorum facilè discit diversas linguas Hence the Distick so much celebrated Quid facies facies Veneris si veneris ante Ne sedeas sed eas ne pereas per eas A word so placed betwixt two that it matters not to which it is referred is an Elegancy as Opus caeptum urgeas vehementer oro For here it is a question whether I mean the work is to be mightily hastned or that I mightily desire it And yet which way so ever you take it it will not be amiss and more full if you understand it both ways But if yet you have a mind to speak it very perspicuously you may do it by a Comma or a Repetition thus Ut opus urgeas vehementer oro Ut opus urgeas vehementer oro Ut opus vehementer urgeas vehementer oro A. Proceed to the second part B. Secondly by putting instead of the usual speech and common language Idiotical and proper only to the Latine tongue as if instead of Magister studiorum meorum one should say more latinely Meus à studiis A. What do you call this Ornament B. This second part is called Idiotism and in specie Latinism Graecism Hebraism c. when this Language or that hath an elegancy unknown to others A. What is Idiotism B. Idiotism is an emphatical custom of speaking proper and peculiar to some one tongue Or thus Idiotism or Idiom is a propriety phrase or form of speaking peculiar to its own tongue which cannot be rendred word for word into any other language but with much barbarity and baldness of expression A. How many fold is Idiotism B. Idiotism is two fold or there are two sorts of Idiotism i. e. Lexical and Grammatical Of the first in Latine this may be an example Potiri rerum to reign of the latter this Potiente rerum Augusto when Augustus reigned A. What mean you by Lexical Idiotisms B. By Lexical Idiotisms I mean such as cannot be translated out of Latine into English Greek c. word for word or iisdem verbis as Audire bene Dare verba c. A. What mean you by Grammatical Idiotisms B By Grammatical I mean such as cannot be translated by the same Case Person Tense c. as Sole orto c. Of Lexical Idiotisms see a plentiful Harvest in Mr. Walker's Idiomatical Dictionary of Grammatical here A. How many are the general subjects of Grammatical Idiotisms B. The general subjects of Grammatical Idiotisms are two A. Which are they B. 1. Single words 2. Phrases A. In what heads of single words are Grammatical Idiotisms found B. 1. In Substantives 2. In Adjectives 3. In Pronouns 4. In Verbs 5. In Participles 6. In Adverbs A. How many Rules do you observe in delivering the Idiotisms of Substantives B. Four. A. Which is the first Rule B. It is an Elegancy instead of the Substantive or Abstract to use the Adjective or concrete in the neuter Gender either singular or