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Ologies and Isms: A Dictionary of Word Beginnings and Endings (Oxford Paperback Reference)

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Ologies and Isms: A Dictionary of Word Beginnings and Endings (Oxford Paperback Reference) (Paperback)

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5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The codebook has arrived! Some of the most common--and often misinterpreted--parts of English language construction are prefixes and suffixes. Ologies and Isms unlocks the meaning of these building blocks that make up so much of our modern medical and technical vocabulary. In accessible, plain language this book explains what each affix means. With its huge store of examples--over 10,000 across 1,250 entries--this ready reference illustrates the numerous ways that each is used in everyday speech and writing. Organized in a handy A to Z format, the book features a full Introduction, a section with definitions of technical terms, and a selective thematic index. Anyone (and there are quite a few of us) who has puzzled over 'antidisestablishmentarianism' or struggled with 'histopathologist' will welcome this volume for the relief it provides.

About the Author

Michael Quinion has had a varied career, including BBC studio manager and producer in radio, heritage interpreter, freelance audio-visual scriptwriter and producer, museum curator, tourism consultant, and computer software writer. He has been a freelance researcher for the Oxford English Dictionary since 1992, focussing particularly on new words, and is now also a technical consultant for it. He contributed about a third of the entries to the Second Edition of the Oxford Dictionary of New Words.

Product Details

Paperback: 280 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (April 3, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0192801236
ISBN-13: 978-0192801234
Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces

Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #451,452 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
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#88 in Books > Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Synonyms & Antonyms

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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and Enjoyable, July 20, 2004

By	James Skrydlak "mostlymozart" (Mountain View, CA) - See all my reviews

The terminology of medicine and biology, to name just two fields, is rife with words formed largely by compounding Greek stems. This book enables a layman like me to make sense of them, and of many other words in more common usage. Michael Quinion's explanations of the word parts (usually prefixes and suffixes, but frequently syllables found in the middle of words) are clearly written, and he provides examples of the most common words using each stem.

I would estimate that perhaps 80% of the word stems contained in this book are of Greek origin, either directly or as modified by Latin usage. Since the list of stems is 269 pages long, however, that means that there are plenty of word stems of different origin.

This is also one of those rare reference books that are a joy just to dip into and read an entry or two.

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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the before & aft of English, December 10, 2003

By	Rebecca Brown "rebeccasreads" (Clallam Bay, WA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

How often have you seen a technical word & not quite known what it meant? Tired of not really knowing what the ingredients on a food box in the store really are?

OLOGIES AND ISMS by Michael Quinion is a must-have dictionary that will help you decipher the prefixes & suffixes of modern English words.

Rebeccasreads recommends OLOGIES AND ISMS as an important resource for writers, reporters, students, & anyone who plays with words as in Scrabble or crosswords.

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2 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great little book, October 22, 2005

By	Dick Liebo "Reck On Ciler" (Kentucky) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you enjoy word origins, you will love this book. Very interesting.

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