Semantic Antics: How and Why Words Change Meaning [Hardcover]

Sol Steinmetz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 25, 2008

"My favorite popular word book of the year"
-William Safire, NY Times 6/22/2008

A fun, new approach to examining etymology!

Many common English words started out with an entirely different meaning than the one we know today. For example:

The word adamant came into English around 855 C.E. as a synonym for 'diamond,' very different from today's meaning of the word: "utterly unyielding in attitude or opinion."

Before the year 1200, the word silly meant "blessed," and was derived from Old English saelig, meaning "happy." This word went through several incarnations before adopting today's meaning: "stupid or foolish."

In Semantic Antics, lexicographer Sol Steinmetz takes readers on an in-depth, fascinating journey to learn how hundreds of words have evolved from their first meaning to the meanings used today.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Random House Reference; First Edition edition (March 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375426124
• ISBN-13: 978-0375426124
• Product Dimensions: 4.8 x 1 x 7.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #394,281 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Words To Live By, June 29, 2008

By 

Jon Hunt "musician, teacher" (Old Greenwich, Ct. USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Semantic Antics: How and Why Words Change Meaning (Hardcover)

Who would have thought words like "nice" and "pretty" meant something completely different hundreds of years ago or that "satellite" referred to a bodyguard? In this extraordinary yet compact book, "Semantic Antics", Sol Steinmetz reviews dozens of words and how they have evolved over time. It's a simple formula...the author presents a word, gives the current and original meanings, describes from what language it is derived and often cites the word or phrase in literature.

Steinmetz begins with several different reasons why words can develop and change over time and adds to that at the end. It serves as a good set of bookends to the text within. Amelioration (upgrading of words) and pejoration (downgrading) appear most often, it seems, as the likely causes for word changes, with the latter far more prevalent. Each entry is brief but just the right length to hold the reader's interest. I highly recommend "Semantic Antics" as a terrific addition to etymology.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review by a connoisseur of the English language, May 27, 2008

By 

Baroque music lover (Phoenix, AZ, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Semantic Antics: How and Why Words Change Meaning (Hardcover)

I got this book for a friend who is a connoisseur of the English language -- her post-graduate work was on its ancestral beginnings, she taught it in academia, and she was the top techwriter for a major Fortune 100 corporation for 20 years. Here is her assessment:

"At last, a book about the evolution of the English language that is written in a breezy, interesting style! Whether you have an academic or a casual interest in the history of the language, Semantic Antics traces some of the most interesting words in our language from their roots to modern day usage --- in an accurate, non-pedantic manner."

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great stories about words!, September 19, 2009

By 

Barbara Ann Kipfer (CT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Semantic Antics: How and Why Words Change Meaning (Hardcover)

I wish I could write like Sol Steinmetz! Changes in the meanings of words are so interesting, but it is often hard to segue and make it from one usage to another in telling the stories. But Sol Steinmetz is a master of this. His research is impeccable and the supporting quotations are helpful and illuminating. This is enjoyable and educational for all word lovers.