How to parse. ...

Par. 546-548.] VO CABULAR Y.

297

e.g. in " Glou-cester," " Chester," " Dor-chester," &c.;
also the words " street" and " wall" (valium).
546 (Second Period), A.D. 596-1200. —The introduction of Christianity introduced (a) a number of
religious technical terms, e.g. " preach" 2 (przedicare,)
"mass" (missa), &c., together with a few names of
(b) food, e.g. "butter; " (c) trees, e.g. "fig;" (d)
animals, e.g. "camel;" (e) weights and measures,
e.g. "pound," "ounce," "inch."
547 (Third Period), A.D. 1200-1400. - Indirectly
through the French; see above.
French words were not freely admitted into the
language till the upper classes began to adopt
English as their native tongue, i.e. till A.D. 1300 -1350. In the earlier text of Layamon's "Brut"
(A.D. 1205) there are only about 112 Norman-French
words throughout the whole of the poem. See the
lists of Norman-French words in Morris's Historical
Outlines.
548 (Fourth Period), A.D. 1500-1660.- Direct importation of Latin words, through the revival of the
study of Latin Literature. Many of these words
have changed their meaning, either (1) narrowing
their meaning (e.g. " extravagant" no longer means
" wandering outside," 3 but simply " wandering beyond the due bounds of expense "), or (2) extending
1 I have Mr. Skeat's authority for inserting this word, as probably borrowed from the Latin; cf. Welsh gwal, " a rampart."
2 ", Preach" has come to us through the French; but it is also
found in A.-S " predician " -both from the Latin " predicare."
3 "T The extravagant and erring spirit.' "- hakspeare.