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John Wilkins' 1668 proto-thesaurus

"The right ordering of these Transcendentals is a business of no small difficulty; because there is so little assistance or help to be had for it in the Common Systems..."

[pic source]

In 1668 one of the founders of the Royal Society, John Wilkins, published "An Essay Towards a Real Character and A Philosophical Language". Only 184 years later did Roget get around to refining this into the first thesaurus. [crit] [1911 Roget] (And ninety years after Roget, in 1942, Jorge Borges unfairly skewered Wilkins in an essay, "The Analytic Language of John Wilkins": etext)

NEW: Compare Roget 1852 with Wilkins 1668 using frames

Since the online etext of Wilkins effort is almost unreadable, I've begun extracting the basics below.

Wilkins' top levels (and the number of subcategories under each):

general or universal notions      |  These 1st six
   transcendental things (3)      |
   words/discourse (1)            |  he calls
special                           |
   creator (1)                    | 'predicaments'
   creatures                      |
      collectively/world (1)      | (ie, categories: def)
      distributively
         substances (14)
         accidents
           quantity (3)
           quality (5)
           action (4)
           relation (8)

The first three subcategories-- for transcendental (or 'metaphysical') things-- are absolute (1) and relative, with the relative things further broken down into mixed (2) and simple (3).

The transcendental absolute (or 'general') includes "kinds, causes, differences, and modes" of things. Differences are broken down further into "absolute and common" or "relative to action", and this last group is subdivided into 'ends' and 'means'. (This should start to make sense when you see the vocabulary-examples below, but as Wilkins admits it involves "no small difficulty".)

Transcendental mixed are "common both to quantity, quality, whole, and part".

Transcendental simple are "proper to action".

[I've modernised spellings, trimmed a bit and reformatted, but most of what follows is direct quotation.]

page-image: 2000*3000 [transcript]

GENUS, general, common Kind.

SPECIES, Sort or special kind, specific, specifical, breed.

1. The first and most general Conceptions of which the Understanding takes notice

BEING, Entity, Essence, Existence, subsist, am, is, extant

NOTHING, Nought, null, none, annul, disannul, annihilate, abrogate, abolish, void, undo, cancel, evacuate, cypher

2. Those beings which are truly such, or those which our Senses mistake for Beings.

THING, Affair, Matter, Business, Case, real, really, indeed.

APPEARANCE, Apparition, Phantasm, Show, Vision, illusion and vanish.

3. Similtudes of Beings

NOTION, Conception.

FICTION, Figment, make, feign, frame, devise, counterfeit, forge, coin, mint, Fable, Apologue, Romance, Tale, Legend, Mythology, Fairy, Nymph, Centaur, Griffin, Bugbear, Goblin, Chymera, Atlantis, Utopia.

4. The words assigned for the signifying of several Things and Notions

NAME, Style, Title, Titular, Compellation, Appellation, nominate, denominate, Surname, Inscription, Nomenclator, anonymous, call, Noun, Term.

PERSON, Age, Party, Nobody, Wight [a living being: def].

5. Such things as subsist by themselves, or the modes of Substance.

SUBSTANCE, subsist.

ACCIDENT, accidental.

6. That habitude of things whereby they may be said to have parts distinct and capable of division

QUANTITY, Much, Deal, Mathematic.

QUALITY, Disposition, Endowment, indue, parts, qualification, manner, condition, estate.

7. The application of the Agent to the Patient, or the reception of the force of the Agent.

ACTION, do, perform, commit, practise, proceeding, function, exercise, achieve, dealing, Act, Fact, Deed, Feat, Exploit, Passage, Prank, Trick, play the Part.

PASSION, abide, ail, bear, endure, suffer, undergo, sustain, feel, capable.

8. Such things as cannot be, or cannot be known, without respect to something else

RELATION, refer, Regard, Respect, Habitude, correlative.

ABSOLUTENESS, irrespective, peremptory, fiat, positive.

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CAUSE, Reason, Ground, Principle, proceed from, procure, produce, make, constitute, Influence, raise, put, set, bring to pass.

EFFECT, Event, Issue, Fruit, accrue, Success, spring from, become, grow, come of it, impression, Product.

1. external: means: immediate

EFFICIENT, Author, Maker, Efficacy, effectual, Energy, Virtue, Validity, Force, Vigour, Operation, Influence, frame, constitute, beget, effect, do, make, cause, work, render, create, bring to pass

INSTRUMENT, Tool, Organ, organical, Implement;

2. external: means: remote: agent: excite/restrain

IMPULSIVE, Incentive, Motive, Reason, Ground, Concitation, Instigation, Inducement, impel, stimulate, stir up, prick forward, spur on, rouse, quicken, irritate, provoke, excite, egging, incite, Instinct, Consideration, put on, set at, set on, move, urge, draw in.

COHIBITIVE, restrain, check, curb, withhold, keep short, keep back, inhibit, repress, hold in, bridling, stint, coerce, confine, limit, no ho [no halt: def], stay, staunch, moderate, master, control.

3. external: means: remote: agent: regulate

EXEMPLAR, Example, Instance, Idea, Precedent, Cause.

TYPE, Pattern, Platform, Model, Last, Mold, Prototype, Antitype, Extract, Original, Copy, Counterpart, Draft, Sampler, Proof, Duplicate, exemplify, prefigure.

4. external: means: remote: patient

CONDITION, Proviso, Salvo, in case, Term, Case, State, liking, Habit, Qualification.

OCCASION, occasional, Exigence, Emergence, Advantage, Opportunity, draw, provoke, scandal.

5. external: means: remote: efficient

ADJUVANT, Help, Aid, Assistance, Succour, Relief, Support, Advantage, auxiliary, subsidiary, avail, conduce, promote, farther, stand in stead, supply, accommodate, serve, Co-adjutor, abet, take ones part, stand by, a stay to one, forward, minister, relief, back one.

IMPEDIENT, hinder, Obstacle, Remora [obstacle: def], Clog, Bar, debar, obstruct, cumber, Rub, Check, Dam, Luggage, Lumber, Baggage, Prejudice, Disadvantage, foreflow, lett, stop, Disservice, stay, stand in the way, trigg, keep back, restrain, with-hold, interfere.

6. external: beneficiary

END, Aim, Mark, Goal, Drift, Instent, Effect, Purpose, Design, Scope, sake, Reach, Reason, final, tend.

MEANS, Way, Shift, Expedient, accommodate.

7. internal

MATTER, material, Stuff, Substance, Argument, Subject, Boot (as fire-boot, &c.)

FORM, formal, Essence.

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DIVERS, another, several, sundry, vary, variety, dissonant, to and fro, up and down, multiplicity, choice, different, others, Heterogeneous.

IDENTITY, Very, sameness, all one, unvaried.

1. external: understanding

TRUTH, true, Verity, verifie, very, Right, Sooth, irrefragably, likely, probable.

FALSHOOD, false, falsify, Error, erroneous, untrue.

2. external: will

GOODNESS, Weal, Welfare, right, regular, well, rectify, better, best.

EVILNESS, ill, bad, naught, wrong, amiss, shrewd, scurvy, lewd, horrid, horrible, corrupt, Pravity, deprave, Sin, Fault, Trespass, Transgress, Transgression, Peccadillo, worse.

3. internal: being

POSITIVENESS, Thesis.

PRIVATIVENESS, Privation, bereave, deprive, depose, put out, put forth, take away, strip, divest, dis-seize, dispossess, disfurnish.

4. internal: authenticity

GENUINENESS, right, arrant, rank, very, native, legitimate, true, current.

SPURIOUSNESS, mongrel, bastard, false, illegitimate, improper, adulterine, base, misbegot, sophisticated.

5. internal: actuality

ACTUALNESS, Existence, extant.

POTENTIALNESS, Reversion, may, can.

6. internal: boundedness

FINITENESS, definite, determined, limited, bounded, Term, Confine, Stint, concluded.

INFINITENESS, endless, indefinite, unbounded, immense, indeterminate, unlimited, unmeasurable, inexhaustible.

7. causes: efficient

NATURALNESS, right, native, wild, carnal, preternatural, supernatural.

FACTITIOUSNESS, artificial, technical, made.

8. causes: material

SIMPLICITY, mere, sheer, clear, fine, plain, right, pure, unmixed, Ingredient, single, uncompounded.

MIXEDNESS, mingle, compound, blend, shuffle, Medley, Miscellany, promiscuous, temper, Commixtion, complex, complicate, confound, intermingle, Hodgepodge, Gallimaufry, Rhapsody, Centon, dash, brew.

9. causes: formal

PERFECTION, absolute, entire, full, accurate, exact, exquisite, punctual, precise, complete, consummate, accomplish, strict, plenary, throughly, mature, up at the top.

IMPERFECTION, incomplete, lame.

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DISAGREEABLENESS, unsuitable, discrepant.

CONVENIENCY, agreement, agreeable, suitable, serving, commodious.

1. simple: well-being

PROFITABLENESS, Advantage, Benefit, Emolument, Interest, Concern, Boot, Fruit, Utility, Commodious, Edify, stand in stead, good for, avail.

HURTFULNESS, Harm, Prejudice, Disadvantage, Damage, Dispresit, Nuisance, Mischief, discommodious, nocent, shrewd turn, pernicious, noxious, noisome, damnify, endamage, impair, annoy, displeasure, naught for, vermin, weed.

2. simple: appetites

PLEASANTNESS, Delight, Complacence, enjoyment, satisfaction, sweet, taking, delicious, Paradise.

UNPLEASANTNESS, Regret, displeasing, offensive, trouble, grievous, uneasy, painful.

3. simple: reason

DUENESS, Duty, ought, should, Honest, owe, part, incumbent on.

UNDUENESS, ought not, dishonest.

4. mixed: existence

POSSIBILITY, Feasible, may, can.

IMPOSSIBLE, cannot be.

5. mixed: importance

IMPORTANCE, of Moment, Consequence, Strength, Force, Weight, material, considerable, pithy, pregnant, essential, it matters.

VANITY, Trifle, trivial, frivolous, Foppery, Geegaw, Knack, Toy, sleeveless, slight, light, fruitless, fiddling, void, Trumpery, Bauble, Quillet [quibble: def], Quirk, Gambol, to no boot, to no purpose,

6. mixed: esteem

WORTHINESS, Merit, Desert, Value, demerit, cheap, dear, price, precious, depreciate.

UNWORTHINESS, Vile, Mean, Poor, undeserving, indign [unworthy: def].

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1. simple: good: law

LAWFULNESS, legitimate, right, legal, canonical, orderly.

INDIFFERENCE, adiaphorous.

2. simple: good: custom

DECENCY, Decorum, meet, fit, seemly, handsome, becoming, comely, goodly.

INDECENCY, Indecorum, unmeet, unfit, unseemly, unhandsome, uncomely, misbeseeming, ugly.

3. simple: safe: hurt

SAFETY, Security, sure, tutelary, innoxious, save, protect, insure, indemnify, warrant, Sanctuary, Shelter, Refuge.

DANGER, Hazard, Peril, Jeopardy, unsafe, risk, venture, adventure, endanger, expose, incur.

4. simple: safe: labor: agent

EASINESS, Facility, Facilitate, clear, gentle, light,

DIFFICULTY, Hard, uneasy, crabbed, intricate, laborious, strait, Perplexity, rub, knot, graveling, hard put to it.

5. simple: safe: labor: patient

GENTLENESS, Easiness, softness, still, tenderly, gingerly.

VIOLENCE, boisterous, rough, harsh, blustering, impetuous, force, ravish.

6. comparative: nature

Nature of the means to one another; whether mutually agreeing as having the same kind of affections, or disagreeing as having such kind of affections as are apt to exclude one another out of the same subject.

CONGRUITY, Sutableness, Agreableness, Sympathy, consonant, compatible, right, apposite, fit, meet, apt, adapt, consistent, accord, conform, accommodate, comply.

CONTRARIETY, Repugnance, withstand, against, unsutable, Antiperistasis, counter, cross, incongruous, inconsistent, incompatible, interfere.

7. comparative: utility: lower

EXPEDIENCE, Convenience, behooveful, meet, fit, perquisite, requisite.

INCONVENIENCE, Inexpedience, unmeet, unfit, incommodious.

8. comparative: utility: higher (?)

NECESSITY, needful, requisite, essential, should, must, straight, exigent, force, perquisite, pressing.

CONTINGENCE, Venture, adventure, may, Accident, peradventure, adventitious, fortuitous, incident, happen, perhaps.

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MODE, manner, way, sort, fashion, guise, wise, garb, course, form, formality, kind.

1. internal: existence

SUBJECT, liable, obnoxious, exposed, matter, Text, Theme, undergo, capable.

ADJUNCT, Epithet, inherent.

2. internal: use

OBJECT, mark, scope, butt, treat, handle, meddle with, have to do with

3. external: accompaniment: kinds

CIRCUMSTANCE, Rite, Ceremony.

SOLEMNITY, Grandeur, State, Pomp, Port, celebrate, Solemnize, Rite

4. external: accompaniment: consequences

STATE, Estate, Condition, Case, Juncture, Liking, manner, pass, pickle, plight, point, in good repair.

5. external: knowledge

SIGN, Badge, Token, Mark, Note, Symptome, Symbol, Index, Indication, Cue, Print, Scarr, Track, Signature, Signifie, Beacon, becken, Boad, foretoken presage, Prodigie, portentous, ominous, auspicious.

6. external: existence: order: alone

ROOM, as Successor, Caliph, supply, place.

STEAD, as substitute, subdititious, serve for, succedaneous, Deputy, Surrogate, Vicar, Delegate, Vice-gerent, Attorney, Broker, Factor, in lieu, Lieutenant, Proctor, Proxy.

7. external: existence: order: paired

TURN, Course, alternate, second, bout.

RECIPROCATION, mutual, interchangeable, intercourse, correspond.

8. external: existence: measures

DEGREE, gradual, a spice, a strain, gradation, leisurely, by little and little.

IMPETUS, Fit, Paroxysm, brunt, crash, effort, pang.

9. external: existence: affections

COGNATION, Affinity, Nearness.

OPPOSITION, Disagreeableness, contrary, counter, repugnant, withstand, against, cross, thwart, other side, adverse, Antagonist, Antithesis, confront, impugn, oppugn.

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1. quantity: generally: others: indefinite: being: singly

INDIFFERENCE, Pretty big, passable, reasonable, so so.

GREATNESS, Magnitude, ample, large, vast, huge, immense, grand, monstrous, prodigious, sound, swinging, whisker, main, much, magnify, aggravate, exaggerate, a filthy deal, a foul deal, Giant.

LITTLENESS, smallness, Petty, Minute, Modicum, Scantling, diminutive, less, least, poor, abate, allay, extenuate, Elf, Dwarf, Shrimp, Tit, Dandiprat, Pigmy.

2. quantity: generally: others: indefinite: being: conjunctly

MEDIOCRITY, a pretty deal, an indifferent quantity, mean, reasonable.

ABUNDANCE, a great deal, much, a world, affluence, plenty, more, copious, slush, satiate, flow, fluent, luxuriant, enough and to spare.

SCARCITY, Little, want, dearth, pinching, scant, bare, jejune, lack

3. quantity: generally: others: indefinite: use

SUFFICIENCY, enough, big enough, much enough, competency, moderate, satisfy, serve, well, full.

EXCESS, Redundance, superfluity, needless, exuberance, too much, overmuch, overcharge, cloy, glut, surfeit, satiety, extreme, immoderate, luxuriant, rank, out of reason, waste, fly out, lash out.

DEFECT, Not enough, lack, need, penury, indigent, necessitous, destitute, want, fail, fall short of, slender, jejune, incompetent, insufficient.

4. quantity: generally: others: indefinite: quality

INDIFFERENCY, Pretty well, tolerable, not amiss.

EXCELLENCY, extraordinary good, eminence, preeminence, egregious, eximious, incomparable, superlative, sovereign, transcendent, singular, heroic, high, noble, gallant, choice, passing, rare, remarkable, notable, Paragon, Mirror.

SORRINESS, mean, poor, vile, trivial, contemptible, despicable, frippery, Trash, Trumpery, Raff, Scum, Drug, silly, slight, paltry, scurvy, poor, coarse, flat, peddling, cheap, worthless, Fellow, Sirrah, Companion, Rascal, Varlet, Wretch, Scoundrel, Skipjack, Scrub, Urchin, Flirt, Gill, Jade.

5. quantity: generally: others: definite: being

EQUALITY, Evenness, parity, peer, match, fellow, adequate, equipollent, adjust, halves with, as many, all one.

INEQUALITY, unequal, odds.

SUPERIORITY, above, upper, advantage, odds, preeminence, surmount, overpass, surpass. exceed, go beyond, outgo, get the start, top, excell, prevail, predominant.

INFERIORITY, under, underling, disadvantage, allay, come short of, low.

6. quantity: generally: others: definite: use

EQUIVALENCE, countervail.

BETTERNESS.

WORSENESS.

7. quantity: generally: themselves: being

AT A STAND.

INCREASE, Augmentation, progress, increment, enlarge, magnify, amplify, aggravate, improve, rise, grow, gain, come forward, crescent.

DIMINUTION, Abate, Bate, suage, assuage, decrease, extenuate, mince, mitigate, allay, retrench, rebate, shrink.

8. quantity: generally: themselves: quality

JUST TEMPER.

INTENTION, heighten, strain, raise, aggravate, exaggerate, exasperate, enhance, acute, cutting, keen, sore, piercing, vehement, urgent, eager, earnest, deep sleep, amain, greatly, much.

REMISSION, Abate, allay, slake, slacken, suage, assuage, diminish, mitigate, slight, cold, slender, weak, dead, dilute, dull, faint, gentle, light.

9. quantity: generally: themselves: use

KEEPING AT A STAY.

MENDING, emendation, bettering, Reparation, Reformation, Restoration, correct, redress, Improve, Edify, botch, cobble, clout, patch, Progress, advance.

MARRING, Spoiling, Deprave, Impair, spill, taint, alloy, wear, corrupt, vitiate, wail.

page-image: 2000*3000 [transcript]

1. quantity: restrained: continuous: line

LENGTH, lengthen, Longitude, prolong, protract, eek out, extend, tedious, prolixness.

SHORTNESS, brevity, Conciseness, abbreviate, curtail, abridge, restrain, compendious, succinct.

2. quantity: restrained: continuous: width

BREADTH, Wideness, Latitude, Largeness, Ampleness, Spacious, dilate, enlarge, extend.

NARROWNESS, straitness, Scantness, close, compressed, pink-eyed, restrain.

3. quantity: restrained: continuous: body: top

DEEPNESS, profound, Abyss, far into, high.

SHALLOWNESS, Ford, Scour, Depression, low, flat.

4. quantity: restrained: continuous: body: bottom

HIGHNESS, Altitude, exalt, elevate, Soar, sublime, tall, lofty, proper, towering, advance, raise, aloft.

LOWNESS, abase, bring down, depress, demiss, nether

5. quantity: restrained: continuous: body: width

THICKNESS, Crassitude, gross, deep, incrassate, rouncival.

THINNESS, slender, fine, slim, lank, slank, slight, tenuity, gaunt, rare, subtle, attenuate.

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