English Through the Ages [Hardcover]

William Brohaugh (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0898796555 | ISBN-13: 978-0898796551 | Publication Date: February 1998

Unique among etymology books, English Through the Ages places words on the long and dynamic timeline of English word creation, chronicling words according to when it can be confirmed they were in use. Words are organized into time groupings from "In Use by 1150" to "In Use by 1990." Entry-words list changes in meaning and when related words (such as the noun use of a verb) came into being. Timelines are grouped into categories of words, including "Geography/Places, " "The Body, " "Everyday Life, " "Insults" and "Slang" so you can browse for related words. And, all entrywords are cross-referenced in a comprehensive index.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Laptop," "quality time," "politically correct," "wannabe," and "spin doctor"--these terms are all such mainstays of our modern-day vernacular that it's hard to believe they are only about 15 years old. It seems equally unlikely that, even in the year 1150, a person could live life in the "fast lane," eschewing his own "flesh and blood" and "sleeping with a comely whore" at his "summerhouse." Such a "witless turd" could even "tap" an "ice-cold keg," after which he might just "spew" his "guts" out. This hefty volume is sure entertainment for anyone interested in knowing that the word "smooch" is about 350 years older than the word "oink," that in the 1600s a "prick" was a nice guy, and that women were getting "knocked up" by the year 1665 (a good 30 years, for what it's worth, after the first recording of the phrase "women's rights"). --Jane Steinberg

From Library Journal

Brohaugh, former editor of Writer's Digest magazine, current editorial director for Writer's Digest Books, and author of two books about writing, has created a unique English-language reference. Unlike most books about words, this one is arranged chronologically, not alphabetically. The prime purpose of English Through the Ages is to show when words entered the language and became part of the written record. The body of the work consists of a series of word lists. The first three lists correspond to the first major stage of the English language; Old English, Middle English, and Late Middle English words are grouped in 25-year increments. A list for the 20th century is compiled in ten-year increments. Although some entries include the part of speech, a definition, the date of earliest use, other meanings, and related words, the amount of information provided is not uniform and sometimes seems a little thin. This is an interesting work that could be useful to writers looking for diction of a time period and students of language and history. A very brief history of English and a comprehensive, large index are also included. An interesting but not essential purchase for larger libraries.?Paul A. D'Alessandro, Portland P.L., Me.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 608 pages
• Publisher: Writer's Digest Books (February 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898796555
• ISBN-13: 978-0898796551
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.1 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #232,848 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Education & Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Lexicography

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hefty, but Specific Reference, April 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: English Through the Ages (Hardcover)

A fine, if special purpose, reference. The first half of the book contains a cronological listing of words broken down by category (War, Interjections, Emotions, Colors). This is interesting for questions like: "What words would a modern man of the 1590's use?" The latter (and more specifically useful) half contains an alphabetic index of all words (but sadly indexed without date -- requiring some paging back and forth): "Is this word appropriate for a Lady of the 1880's?" This is the sort of reference that cries out for CD-Rom, but the flexibility of paper far outweighs the limited possibilities of some cd ui. "Brief Musings" about English evolution break up the index monotony and add some "why" rather than just what.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Plenteous and Pure Tome of the English Tongue, April 16, 2001

By 

Maggie Boleyn - See all my reviews

This review is from: English Through the Ages (Hardcover)

This book belongs in your collection if you are interested in word useage through time. This book is particularly useful when you want to give your historical writing that extra oomph, and you want to use the right word for the right time.

How about a quick insult? Flip to the proper time frame, say 1350, and Lo! Words like "Lurdane" (dull, heavy, stupid, sluggish) and "Gig" (Sorry, this is a family website, you'll have to read the book)abound anon.

You can also use the index to locate a particular word. The page numbers will tip you off as to where the word falls in the timeline.

A very helpful, but not always employed, feature is the notation "u", meaning the word was in use until a particular time. This way, you can be confident that "gig" was a good insult "u1700".

We are bounden to William Brohaugh.

4.0 out of 5 stars Handy Reference To Have, December 30, 2011

By 

Sandra Elzie - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: English Through the Ages (Hardcover)

As an author, it's important to know when certain slang words/phrases came into use. Since I'm writing a historical, I need to know if "biological clock" was being used back in the thirties. It wasn't, (actually around 1955) so I'd need to use different terminology.

For a non-writer, it's just fun to see when different phrases came into use. (For instance, back around 1915 the word "lounge lizard" started being used.)