Chapter CLXIV: Section V: Derivation of Verbs

In English, Verbs are derived from nouns, from adjectives, or from verbs.

I. Verbs are derived from _Nouns_ in the following different ways:--

1. By the adding of _ize, ise, en_, or _ate_: as, _author, authorize; critic, criticise; length, lengthen; origin, originate_. The termination _ize_ is of Greek origin, and _ise_ is most probably of French: the former is generally preferable in forming English derivatives; but both are sometimes to be used, and they should be applied according to Rule 13th for Spelling.

2. Some few verbs are derived from nouns by the changing of a sharp or hard consonant to a flat or soft one, or by the adding of a mute _e_, to soften a hard sound: as, _advice, advise; price, prize; bath, bathe; cloth, clothe; breath, breathe; wreath, wreathe; sheath, sheathe; grass, graze_.

II. Verbs are derived from _Adjectives_ in the following different ways:--

1. By the adding of _ize_ or _en_: as _legal, legalize; immortal, immortalize; civil, civilize; human, humanize; familiar, familiarize; particular, particularize; deaf, deafen; stiff, stiffen; rough, roughen; deep, deepen; weak, weaken_.

2. Many adjectives become verbs by being merely used and inflected as verbs: as, _warm_, to _warm_, he _warms; dry_, to _dry_, he _dries; dull_, to _dull_, he _dulls; slack_, to _slack_, he _slacks; forward_, to _forward_, he _forwards_.

III. Verbs are derived from _Verbs_ in the following modes, or ways:--

1. By the prefixing of _dis_ or _un_ to reverse the meaning: as, _please, displease; qualify, disqualify; organize, disorganize; fasten, unfasten; muzzle, unmuzzle; nerve, unnerve_.

2. By the prefixing of _a, be, for, fore, mis, over, out, under, up_, or _with_: as, _rise, arise; sprinkle, besprinkle; bid, forbid; see, foresee; take, mistake; look, overlook; run, outrun; go, undergo; hold, uphold; draw, withdraw_.

SECTION VI.--DERIVATION OF PARTICIPLES.

All _English_ Participles are derived from _English_ verbs, in the manner explained in Chapter 7th, under the general head of Etymology; and when foreign participles are introduced into our language, they are not participles with us, but belong to some other class of words, or part of speech.