We are in danger of a new barbarism. The phrase
"to duplex" an electric cable, seems coming rapidly into use,—in the sense of to make it capable of doing double the work that it did before. But if that be the meaning, why not use the word " double " it- self? " Duplex " means properly "twofold," and to propose "to twofold" anything, is even less barbarous than to propose to " duplex " it, became it does not naturalise in English it genuinely Latin term. Perhaps it would be said that the word " double " would be misunderstood, and imply adding another cable of equal size. Well, that mistake might just as well be made with the Latin word, and can only be avoided in either the one case or the other, by explanations. Or why not say "to duplify," from the analogy of "simplify?" In any case, "to duplex" is etymological vandalism. Why are such liberties taken with Latin, and never with any living lan- guage? Who would venture to speak of "to zweifach " an electric cable ? If to duplex" is right, why not "to simplex" also ? Why not say that Mr. Carlyle has " simplexed" his style, or the West-End milliners have " simplexed " their fashions ?
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