[65]
Compound
[p. 109]
words are formed by the prefix of a preposition as
in innocens, though care must be taken that two
conflicting prepositions are not prefixed as in
imperterritus:1 if this be avoided they may in certain
cases have a double prefix as in incompositus or
reconditus or the Ciceronian subabsurdtim. They may
also be formed by what I might term the combination of two independent units, as in maleficus.
1 Quintilian regards the negative in as a preposition. His objection to imperterritus (which is used by Vergil) seems to lie in the fact that while interritus is a natural way of expressing “unterrified,” it is unreasonable to negative perterritus, which means “thoroughly terrified.” The presence of the intensifying per conflicts with the force of the negative in.
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