This book is written primarily for use as a text book in high-schools and colleges. Its object is to call attention to the literary values of words as far as can be done in a brief examination of deriva tions. It is hoped, therefore, that it may not be without interest for that large class who, though in no sense specialists, take an interest in the his tory of words, and that some young men may be prompted by it to take up the study of our lan guage seriously. My acknowledgments are due to Messrs. G. P. Putnam's Sons for permission to insert the tables of Latin and English derivatives from Professor Marsh's lectures, and to the Open Court Publish ing Company of Chicago for permission to make some extracts from Max Muller's latest lectures. T O my colleague, Dr. Samuel Hart, I am ih debted for many valuable suggestions.