Customer Reviews

Dictionary of Word Origins: Histories of More Than 8,000 English-Language Words

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... because I use it so often. That's right, there are so many fascinating, helpful word origins in this book that due to over-use and laying the book out flat to read it (over breakfast, etc.), it's the first book I actually split in two down the binding. So now I'll need to get another one. I read a few word origins from this book almost daily, it's my favorite word book. These word origins reveal twists, turns and reverses of the human mind, history and culture over the ages. Mr. Ayto doesn't just pick a few of the most interesting words; I like that a wide variety of words -- including mundane -- can be found here. The author is candid (marking with an asterisk) about which pre-literate word origins involve guess work. At the end of entries you'll often find cross-referenced words.

I think this book may hold the record for most quickly becoming indispensible to me. It contains concise, single paragraph histories of the backgrounds of 8,000 words in our language. One thing I really enjoy about it is the way it combines presentations of the most common, everyday words with the coolest, most interesting ones.

Offhand, one of my favorite words would have to be the word "guitar." Did you know that the word guitar started out as the Greek word "kithara," and came to English by means of two separate routes? On the one hand, it passed directly through Europe, by way of the Roman Empire, becoming "cithara" in Latin and then "citole" in Middle English. On the other hand, it went through North Africa with the Muslims as a "qitar" in Arabic, then into Spanish by way of the Moors as "guitarra," then into French as "guitare," then finally into English as "guitar." (A citole, by the way, for all you non-Chaucer fans out there, was a medieval stringed instrument that we no longer have with us.)

That's just one word. There are 7,999 more entries like that, and all of them are amazing. This book is so worth the money it isn't even funny. Two million thumbs up.

...Then this is the book you want. Outside of the Oxford English Dictionary, it's the best (and least expensive) etymological reference I've come across, even better than The Oxford Dictioary of Word Histories, published by Oxford University Press.

Here's an example of a terrific entry:

PREY Prey comes via Old French prei from Latin praeda 'booty' (from which was derived the word paredari 'plunder', source of English depradation and predatory). This was a contraction of an earlier praeheda, a noun formed with the prefix prae-'before' from the same base (*hed- 'saize', source also of English get) as produced the verb praehendere 'seize'. This has been a rich source of English vocabulary, contributing through different channels such a varied assortment as prehensile, prison, and prize 'something seized in war', not to mention prefixed forms like apprehend, comprehend, comprise, impgregnable, reprehensible, reprieve, and surprise. It is also the ancestor of French prendre 'take'.

Here's the Oxford Dictionary of Word Histories entry for the same word:

PREY [Middle English] Early noun use included the sense 'plunder taken in war' (=that which is 'seized'); it comes from Old French preie, from Latin praeda 'boot'. The verb is from Old French preir, based on Latin praedari 'seize as plunder', from praeda. The verbal phrase prey upon is found from early times.

Both are complete entries, but one is obviously more complete than the other.

Ayto provides "the true historie" of more than 8,000 English-language words in a single volume, one which I consider to be the most useful of the several I own and regularly consult. Each entry is brief and precise. If you have a need and interest, or if you are merely curious about word origins and plan to purchase only one reference source, this is the one.

I love this book. If you have a passion for etymology--or even if you don't--you will eat this book up. As a writer, I use it often for research, but sometimes I just sit and read it for pleasure. Well written, comprehensive, and delightful!

This is a wonderful book! It is indispensable to students or anyone who reads books that have been written in the past, or for those with a curious nature.

The dictionary is in alphabetical order with stories of how each word came into the English language and has evolved over time.

For example:

Alcohol - Originally, alcohol was a powder, not a liquid. The word comes from Arabic al-kuhul, literally `the kohl'--that is, powdered antimony used as a cosmetic for darkening the eyelids. This was borrowed into English via French or Medieval Latin, and retained this `powder' meaning for some centuries (for instance, `They put between the eyelids and the eye a certain black powder made of a mineral brought from the kingdom of Fez, and called Alcohol,' George Sandys, Travels 1615). But a change was rapidly taking place: from specifically `antimony,' alcohol came to mean any substance obtained by sublimation, and hence `quintessence.' Alcohol of wine was thus the `quintessence of wine,' produced by distillation or rectification, and by the middle of the 18th century alcohol was being used on its own for the intoxicating ingredient in strong liquor. The more precise chemical definition (a compound with a hydroxyl group bound to a hydrocarbon group) developed in the 19th century.

Among the memorable events of my life, is the discovery of etymology. Among the disovery of etymology, is this book. Wow.

Ayto's style is simple, clear, and full of not only the technical details you might like (Indo European roots - Latin/Greek/etc. roots) but I continue to sift through Ayto's work even after consulting mammoth dictionaries such as Chamber's. He has insight, and offers some of the anacdotes that make the history of words so fascinating. Famous examples are Sandwhich, etc. but who knew that 'Alcatraz' is related to Pellicans is related to the Arabic word for 'Buckets' that have sprouts shaped like Pelican beaks?

I quickly run out of breath reading his work as I fing myself so often saying 'Huh!' ... 'Ho!' ... 'Huh?'

I love it.

Very fine work, although at around 8000 words the book is certainly not an exhaustive reference. I use it to supplement my Chambers Etymology along with several other word histories. What it lacks in quantity it makes up in quality. The British spelling is a bit annoying at times but that is a minor gripe. The book is a wonderful "browser" as well as a practical reference. Overall, a must-have for any English etymology enthusiast. I was fortunate to locate a (mint) hardcover edition and I find that format much more durable and pleasing to use than a paperback.

I like Mr.Ayto's heart warming consideration given to the readers of all level, specially to those who are about to walk into the primeval forest of words.

He did his best to avoid intricate technical terms and made the explanations very easy to understand for everybody, thus literally inviting people to join him into the mystic world of languages, where our words were born hundreds of milleniums ago.

I have no doubt that someday one of the readers of this book will find out the genesis of our words in return.

I found the work to be lacking... Much prefer Hendrickson's ever-being-updated Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins more insightful.