This explanation may seem a very likely one to many; nevertheless we incline to believe the word to be of later origin, and to have arisen from ignorance of the actual facts. We consider it more probable that _greben_ owes its origin to some corruption of language growing out of _gremium_, the bosom. We have been led to this conjecture by a statement of _Adelung’s_ in his Dictionary, Article “Grieben”, where he says: “In middle-Latin _grieben_, (greaves), were called, in accordance with a common interchange change of the letters b. and m. _gremium_”,—though indeed we cannot regard the word as solely and entirely mediæval Latin, for it is found occurring as early as _Pliny_ (Hist. Nat. XII. 19.) and _Columella_ (Res Rust. XII. 19. 3.), and is evidently connected with _cremare_ (to burn). So just as in this case _cremium_ and _gremium_ may have been used interchangeably, has _grebe_ grown out of _greme_ in German, and the latter come to be used as a synonym of _griebe_,—the latter words according to this having as little in common with one another as the former. However those better practised in the science of word formation must here decide! Now as to the word _Mentagra_ (Tetter, Scab). This was evidently a word first framed by the Romans, as is distinctly stated not alone by _Pliny_, but by _Galen_ as well (De compos. medic. secundum locos Bk. V., edit. Kühn Vol. XII. p. 839.). The latter says: Ἐκδόριον λειχήνων· ταύτῃ Πάμφιλος χρησάμενος ἐπὶ Ῥώμης πλεῖστον ἐπορίσατο _ἐπικρατούσης ἐν τῇ πόλει τῆς μεντάγρας λεγομένης_. (Blister for Lichenes (Scabs); in this way Pamphilus in his practise at Rome made most headway against _the Mentagra as it was called, then prevalent in the city_). It is usually considered to be formed on the analogy of _Podagra_, _Chiragra_ (gout of the feet, gout of the hands) etc. from _mentum_, the chin, and ἄγρα, the act of catching, seizing hold of,—so a disease that attacks the chin. But more probably all these words are compounded not with ἄγρα at all, but with ἄλγος (suffering). That is to say just as ἀλγαλέος, by Attic interchange of letters, becomes ἀργαλέος (grievous), κεφαλαλγία becomes κεφαλαργία (head-ache), and ληθαλγία, ληθαργία (drowsiness, lethargy), so from ποδαλγία we get ποδαργία, and then by metathesis ποδάγρα (gout). (Comp. _Doederlein_ “Lateinische Synonyme und Etymologien”,—Latin Synonyms and Etymologies Pt. 4. p. 424.). The remark _Pliny_ adds however “_ioculari primum lascivia_” (at first by way of jesting mockery) evidently points to some ambiguity underlying the word. But whether this consists in the recognition of the likeness in sound between _mentum_, the chin, and _menta_, or _mentula_, the virile member, or is to be looked for in the ἄγρα, it might be difficult to determine. Still it seems probable, but without wishing to entirely exclude the former hypothesis, that the latter is the case, as will appear directly.