"News"

"*News*," *Origin of the Word* (Vol. i., pp. 270. 369. 487.; vol. ii., pp. 23. 81. 106.).—Your correspondents who have written upon this subject may now have seen the following note in Zimperley's *Encyclopædia*, p. 472.:— "The original orthography was *newes*, and in the singular. Johnson has, however, decided that the word *newes* is a substantive without a singular, unless it be considered as singular. The word *new*, according to Wachter, is of very ancient use, and is common to many nations. The Britons, and the Anglo-Saxons, had the word, though not the thing. It was first printed by Cax…