is answer is, "The explanation and etymology of these
words require a degree of knowledge in all the _antient_ northern
languages, and a skill in the application of that knowledge, which I am
very far from assuming; and though I am almost persuaded by some of my own
conjectures concerning them, I am not willing, by an apparently forced and
far-fetched derivation, to justify your imputation of etymological
legerdemain."--_Diversions_, Vol. i, p. 370.

SECTION X.--DERIVATION OF INTERJECTIONS.

Those significant and constructive words which are occasionally used as
Interjections, (such as _Good! Strange! Indeed_!,) do not require an
explanation here; and those mere sounds which are in no wise expressive of
thought, scarcely admit of definition or derivation. The Interjection HEY
is probably a corruption of the adjective _High_;--ALAS is from the French
_Helas_:--ALACK is probably a corruption of _Alas_;--WELAWAY or WELLAWAY,
(which is now corrupted into WELLADAY,) is said by some to be from the
Anglo-Saxon _Wa-la-wa_, i.e., _Wo-lo-wo_;--"FIE," says Tooke, "is the
imperative of the Gothic and Anglo-Saxon verb _Fian_, to hate;"--_Heyday_
is probably from _high day_;--AVAUNT, perhaps from the French _avant_,
before;--LO, from _look_;--BEGONE, from _be_ and _gone_;--WELCOME, from
_well_ and _come_;--FAREWELL, from _fare_ and _well_.

SECTION XI--EXPLANATION OF THE PREFIXES.

In the formation of English words, certain particles are often employed as
prefixes; which, as they generally have some peculiar import, may be
separately explained. A few of them are of Anglo-Saxon origin, or
character; and the greater part of these are still employed as separate
words in our language. The rest are Latin, Greek, or French prepositions.
The _roots_ to which they are prefixed, are not always proper English
words. Those which are such, are called SEPARABLE RADICALS; those which are
not such, INSEPARABLE RADICALS.

CLASS I--THE ENGLISH OR ANGLO-SAXON PREFIXES.

1. A, as an English prefix, signifies _on, in, at_, or _to_: as in
_a-board, a-shore, a-foot, a-bed, a-soak, a-tilt, a-slant, a-far, a-field_;
which are equal to the phrases, _on board, on shore, on foot, in bed, in
soak, at tilt, at slant, to a distance, to the fields_. The French _a_, to,
is probably the same particle. This prefix is sometimes redundant, adding
little or nothing to the meaning; as in _awake, arise, amend_.

2. BE, as a prefix, signifies _upon, over, b