Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology


Book Description

As all lovers of language know, words are the source of our very understanding of ourselves and the world around us. Often, however, our use of language is so automatic that we neglect to consider where those words came from and what they assume. What are the implications, beyond the simple dictionary definitions, of using words such as privilege, hysteria, seminal, and gyp? Browsing through the pages of The Barhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology is like exploring the historical, political, and rhetorical wonderland of our linguistic heritage. We see the evolution of ideas, as rootword connections that now seem arbitrary are traced to schools of thought from the past. We also find an opportunity to examine how the sometimes backwards, sometimes hilarious, and sometimes illuminating ideologies built into our language affect our modern thinking. Written in a fresh, accessible style, this book provides the derivations of over 21,000 English-language words without resorting to the use of abbreviations, symbols, or technical terminology. Drawing on the most current American scholarship, and focusing on the core words in contemporary English, The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology is both a diverting browse and a thinking person's Bible.










Once Upon a Word


Book Description

Where do words come from?—Teaching kids ages 9 to 12 vocabulary through word origins The English language is made up of words from different places, events, and periods of time. Each of those words has an exciting story to tell us about where, when, how, and why they came about. Once Upon a Word is packed with easy-to-understand definitions and awesome word origin stories. With this dictionary for kids, you can understand the history and meaning of English words, improve your vocabulary and spelling, and learn to play with language. Explore how weird words like gnome, fun words like zombie, and common words like caterpillar came to exist. Discover why some words sound funnier than others (like cackle, sizzle, and twang) and why some groups of words start with the same few letters (like hydrate, hydrogen, and fire hydrant). In this dictionary for kids, there's a whole world of English words to uncover! This unique dictionary for kids includes: Roots & branches—Learn about the building blocks that make up words, called roots, prefixes, and suffixes. Kid-friendly definitions—Look up definitions designed for your reading level in this dictionary for kids. Word tidbits—Find out where your favorite food words got their start, from bacon to marshmallow, spaghetti, yogurt, and beyond. See how the English language evolved with this colorful dictionary for kids.




A Dictionary of the Roots and Combining Forms of Scientific Words


Book Description

Have you ever wondered where scientific words and names come from? Why are honey bees known as 'Apis mellifera', why is a daisy known as 'Bellis perennis'? If you are curious about words you can use this book to find out exactly what 'artiodactyl' means, what an 'ectoloph' is and where you can find 'Cantium'. There are over 12,800 entries, plus directions for using the word-roots, pronunciation rules, guidance for constructing scientific names and general principles of transliteration. Additionally there are appendices listing the adjectival forms of geographical names; some common terms for animals, plants and structures, activities and habitats; shapes, sizes, colors, textures, patterns, numbers, quantity, direction and location, parts of the year and chemical elements. This dictionary will be especially useful to students from many fields and particularly those from medical and biological backgrounds, as well as being a valuable addition to any reference collection. www.trw-books.com




The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology


Book Description

Contains over 30,000 entries with word derivations, spelling, pronunciation, and meanings. Also traces how the meanings have developed over time.




Cassell's Dictionary of Slang


Book Description

With its unparalleled coverage of English slang of all types (from 18th-century cant to contemporary gay slang), and its uncluttered editorial apparatus, Cassell's Dictionary of Slang was warmly received when its first edition appeared in 1998. 'Brilliant.' said Mark Lawson on BBC2's The Late Review; 'This is a terrific piece of work - learned, entertaining, funny, stimulating' said Jonathan Meades in The Evening Standard.But now the world's best single-volume dictionary of English slang is about to get even better. Jonathon Green has spent the last seven years on a vast project: to research in depth the English slang vocabulary and to hunt down and record written instances of the use of as many slang words as possible. This has entailed trawling through more than 4000 books - plus song lyrics, TV and movie scripts, and many newspapers and magazines - for relevant material. The research has thrown up some fascinating results




The American Heritage Dictionary of Indo-European Roots


Book Description

Discusses the nature, origins, and development of language and lists the meanings and associated word for more than thirteen thousand Indo-European root words.