Publication
Imprint: New York : Arcade Publishing; Little Brown and Company, 1990. Edition:First U.S. edition. OCLC Number: 23357530. Physical: 1 volume : 583 pages. Local Note: [lacks dust jacket--black cloth spine with sliver letters.]
Call number
Reference / General
ISBN
1559701331 / 9781559701334
Original publication date
1990
CSS Library Notes
Description: Containing more than eight thousand entries, this guide to the history of the English language traces word origins from their Indo-European roots and reveals the links between seemingly unrelated words such as "bacteria" and "imbacile"
Location: COLLECTION: Reference (Non-Circulating) -- AREA: General -- SECTION: General
Topics: In TinyCat -- See "Tags" above for our libraries topic areas. See "Subjects" below for LCSH (Library of Congress Subject Headings) (note LCSH not available for all items in our library).
Location: COLLECTION: Reference (Non-Circulating) -- AREA: General -- SECTION: General
Topics: In TinyCat -- See "Tags" above for our libraries topic areas. See "Subjects" below for LCSH (Library of Congress Subject Headings) (note LCSH not available for all items in our library).
Physical description
583 p.; 25 cm
Description
The purpose of this book is to uncover the often surprising connections between elements of the English lexicon that have become obscured by centuries of language change - the links in our word-web that join such unlikely partners as, for instance, beef and cow, bacteria and imbecile, and bishop and spy.
Language
Original language
English
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User reviews
LibraryThing member csoki637
Knowing the origins of words adds to their meaning and intrigue. In this book, author John Ayto gives the approximate time period and background on the usage of a word: its etymology and how its meaning has changed over time.
This is a good addition to the library of anyone interested in language.
This is a good addition to the library of anyone interested in language.
LibraryThing member muzzie
It is impossible to imagine there is anyone who loves books who does not also love words. Often words seem to have a life of their own, not just something to emphasize another word but an entity to itself. When reading a history or historical novel a word will stand out on the page causing
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questions to arise: Does that word belong in the period? Does it mean what I think the author implied? Why does it catch my eye? This book does not provide all the answers, but at least allows me to place the word back on page where it belongs. Show Less