Notes & Queries Archive
NOTE1850

FURTHER NOTES ON DERIVATION OF THE WORD "NEWS"

By SAMUEL HICKSON. (St. John's Wood)

Without being what the Germans would call a *purist*, I cannot deem it an object of secondary importance to defend the principles of the law and constitution of the English language. For the adoption of words we have no rule; and we act just as our convenience or necessity dictates: but in their formation we must strictly conform to the laws we find established. Your correspondents C.B. and A.E.B. (Vol. ii., p. 23.) seem to me strangely to misconceive the real point at issue between us. To a question by the latter, why I should attempt to derive "News" indirectly from a German adjective, I ans…

Topics: English Language, Word Derivation, Linguistics