DERIVATION OF NEWS

I have no wish to prolong the controversy on this word, in which I feel I, at least, have had my share. I beg room, however, for an observation on one or two very pertinent remarks by Mr. Singer. In the course of this argument I have seen that if *news* were originally a plural noun, it might be taken for an ellipsis of *new-tidings*. My objection to this would be twofold. First, that the adjective *new* is of too common use, and, at the same time, too general and vague to form an ellipsis intelligible on its first application; and, secondly, that the ellipsis formed of *new-tidings* would be…