[112] This word, like distich and monostich, is from the Greek stichos, a verse; and is improperly spelled by Walker with a final k.  It should be hemistich, with the accent on the first syllable.  See Webster, Scott, Perry, Worcester, and others.

[113] According to Aristotle, the compounding of terms, or the writing of them as separate words, must needs be a matter of great importance to the sense.  For he will have the parts of a compound noun, or of a compound verb, to be, like other syllables, destitute of any distinct signification in themselves, whatever may be their meaning when written separately.  See his definitions of the parts of speech, in his Poetics, Chapter 20th of the Greek; or Goulston’s Version in Latin, Chapter 12th.

[114] Whether worshipper should follow this principle, or not, is questionable.  If Dr. Webster is right in making worship a compound of worth and ship, he furnishes a reason against his own practice of using a single p in worshiper, worshiped, and worshiping.  The Saxon word appears to have been weorthscype.  But words ending in ship are derivatives, rather than compounds; and therefore they seem to belong to the rule, rather than to the exception:  as, “So we fellowshiped him.”—­Herald of Freedom:  Liberator, Vol. ix, p. 68.

[115] When ee comes before e, or may be supposed to do so, or when ll comes before l, one of the letters is dropped that three of the same kind may not meet:  as, free, freer, freest, freeth, freed; skill, skilless; full, fully; droll, drolly.  And, as burgess-ship, hostess-ship, and mistress-ship are derivatives, and not compounds, I think they ought to follow the same principle, and be written burgesship, hostesship, mistresship.  The proper form of gall-less is perhaps more doubtful.  It ought not to be gallless, as Dr. Webster has it; and galless, the analogical form, is yet, so far as I know without authority.  But is it not preferable to the hyphened form, with three Ells, which has authority?  “GALL-LESS, a.  Without gall or bitterness. Cleaveland.”—­Chalmers, Bolles, Worcester.

     “Ah! mild and gall-less dove,
    Which dost the pure and candid dwellings love,
     Canst thou in Albion still delight?”—­Cowley’s Odes.

Worcester’s Dictionary has also the questionable word bellless. Treen, for trees, or for an adjective meaning a tree’s, or made of a tree, is exhibited in several of our dictionaries, and pronounced as a monosyllable:  but Dr. Beattie, in his Poems, p. 84, has made it a dissyllable, with three like letters divided by a hyphen, thus:—­

   “Plucking from tree-en bough her simple food.”