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Ynkhorne Terms

From:Sally Caves <scaves@...>
Date:Sunday, December 5, 1999, 19:08
As I promised Mike (and Padraic,  I think), here is a
paltry list of the "ynkpot" or ynkhorne" terms, as they
were derogatorily called by those who opposed "pedantry"
in English writing, and who disliked the ungoverned
adaptation of Greek and Latin and romance words into
English.  This was a movement that reached its height
in the late sixteenth century, and was considered very
fashionable.  Many of the "invented" words caught on
and were adopted into the vocabulary, probably due to
a great extent to Shakespeare and other popular writers.
But there were some that just bit the dust.   I thought
it would amuse you!  I quote from Baugh and Cable, _A
History of the English Language_ (I think some of these
could be reinstated!)

Anacephalize,  "to sum up."  Replaced by recapitulate.
Deruncinate, "to root out."  Replaced by eradicate.
Adminiculation, "aid."
Illecebrous, "delicate, alluring."
Expede, "to accomplish."  Replaced by expedite.
Cohibit, "to restrain."  Replaced by prohibit and inhibit.
Demit, "send away."  Replaced by dismiss.
Exsiccate, "dry out."  Replaced by dessicate.
Emacerate, "grow thin."  Changed to emaciate.
Cautionate, "to warn."  Shortened to caution.
Consolate, "to console."  Shortened to console.
Eximious, "excellent."  Used by Browning, and the name of
        a popular catalogue in England, I believe.
Mansuetude, "mildness," also used by Browning.
Disaccustom,
Disacquaint             all given up.
Disadorn             we have disabuse, disaffect, disagree.
Exorbitate, "to stray from orbit."  We have exorbitant.
Approbate, "approve."  We have approbation.
Aspectable, "visible."
Assate, "to roast."
Exolete, "faded."
Suppeditate, "furnish, supply."
Temulent "drunk" (one of my favorites and one I will use!)
        I lapsed into mild temulence last night.


Ynkhorne terms introduced by Shakespeare.  They were
bold and original in his day and have become second
nature to us:

agile, allurement, antipathy, catastrophe, critical,
demonstrate, dire, discountenance, emphasis, emulate,
expostulation, extract, hereditary, horrid, impertinency,
meditate, modest, pathetical, prodigious, vast, ambuscado,
armada, barricade, bastinado, cavalier, mutiny, palisade,
pell-mell, renegade, accommodation, apostrophe, assassination,
dexterously, dislocate, frugal, indistinguishable, misanthrope,
obscene, pedant, premeditated, reliance, submerged, etc.

Here's part of a satiric letter that Thomas Wilson devised
to poke fun at Ynkpot terms in an article called "Plainnesse:
What It Is":

"Pondering, expending, and revolating with my selfe, your
ingent affabilitie and ingenious capacity for mundaine
affairs:  I cannot but celebrate & extol your magnifical
dexteritie above all other.  For how could you have adepted
such illustrate prerogative, and dominicall superioritie
if the fecunditie of your ingenie had not been so fertile
and wonderful pregnant.  Now therefore being accersited to
such splendente renoume and dignitie splendidious, I doubt
not but you will adjuvate such poore adnichilate orphanes,
as whilome ware condisciples with you, and of antique
familiaritie in Lincolnshire.  Among whom, I being a
scholastical panion, obtestate your sublimitie to extol
mine infirmitie.  There is a Sacerdotal dignitie in
my native Countrey, contiguate to me..."  etc. etc.

        He's parodying a letter written by a poor
        parson beseeching a former (and richer)
        school chum of his (scholastical panion)
        for a parsonage and ends with:

"What wiseman reading this Letter will not take him for
a very Caulf?"

temulently yours,
Sally

--
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SALLY CAVES
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http://www.frontiernet.net/~scaves (bragpage)
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http://www.frontiernet.net/~scaves/contents.html (all else)
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Niffodyr tweluenrem lis teuim an.
"The gods have retractible claws."
                                from _The Gospel of Bastet_
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