The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology [Hardcover]

C.T. Onions (Editor), G. W. S. Friedrichsen (Assistant), R. W. Burchfield (Assistant)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0198611129 | ISBN-13: 978-0198611127 | Publication Date: December 31, 1966

This comprehensive dictionary by one of our century's greatest language scholars provides a clear and brief account of the origins, history, and sense-development of more than 38,000 words.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Dr. C.T. Onions first joined the staff of the Oxford English Dictionary in 1895. He worked on the OED, the Shorter OED, and then published his Shakespeare Glossary in 1911. A wonderful and learned scholar, he died in 1966 as the first edition of The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology was going to press. Assisted by G.W.S. Friedrichsen and R.W. Burchfield, Onions created a magnificent work of erudition, with 24,000 main entries. Including their derivatives, the dictionary delves into the origins of more than 38,000 words.

For each entry, the dictionary provides the correct pronunciation, followed by a short definition, and the century and source of the word's first recording. Then come the etymological notes. Thus one learns that "froth" (an aggregation of small bubbles on liquid) was first noted in the 14th century, in Sir Gawain and the Bible, that it comes from the Old Norse frooa, and was taken from there into German (fraup) and Old English (froth). Now in its fifth printing and a standard reference for scholars, Onions's opus is still the most comprehensive etymological dictionary of English ever to be published. --Stephanie Gold

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1042 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (December 31, 1966)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198611129
• ISBN-13: 978-0198611127
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.6 x 2.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #185,525 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

123 of 129 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Look Elsewhere, April 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology (Hardcover)

Though the Oxford Etymology is an excellent work, it doesn't read well as a dictionary - being essentially a selection of edited etymological notes from the Original OED. The scholarship is dry, and cryptic... To appreciate this contrast, take a look at the Barnhart Etymology Dictionary, recently re-released as the Chamber's Dictionary of Etymology - with at least three times the material in terms of etymological research and definitions at less than half the price! What's especially useful for American readers is that the Barnhart / Chambers is drawn almost entirely from American sources and scholarship. IF you're only going to buy one etymology dictionary, get the Chambers - but if you're hooked, then the Oxford is an excellent adjunct to the more exhaustive Chambers/Barnhart, balancing the American scholarship with a decidedly UK English orientation.

36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great to just browse through..., October 23, 1999

By 

K - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology (Hardcover)

...or read, or skip from thought to thought with.

The defintions are extremely concise and the etymology section for each word is often also brief. Longer entries occur when a story or individual or specific event is behind the word. Nice and readable printing and a nice, small, thick size. As far as I can tell, this book has not been updated since publication in the sixties; okay by me because words coined since then can be researched using the net.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Keep it in the kitchen, September 22, 2006

By 

Classical Mom (Reston, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology (Hardcover)

We have had a copy of the Oxford Etymological Dictionary in our kitchen for past several years because over the dinner table, inevitably, one of our children asks, "where does that word come from?" We were tired of running in and out of the living room to find out. Now it has become a game -- who can come up with a probable root before whoever is looking it up finds the real answer. No, we don't home school. Our children are still young -- 12 and 9. I have occasionally caught my 12 year old just wallowing in this book, and she is normal in every other way.

Don't compromise because something seems a little difficult to access! The more you use it, the more comfortable you'll be with it. This, along with S.I. Hayakawa's Choose the Right Word, are two veritable smorgasbords for word lovers. A good atlas is a good thing to have on hand as well.