Full name: Origins: A Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern English

Author: Eric Partridge Rank: Rating: Original Rating: Pop Rating: Genres/categories: Purchase/reserch links: LibraryThing Amazon Goodreads ISBNs: 9780415474337 0415474337

This dictionary gives the origins of some 20,000 items from the modern English vocabulary, discussing them in groups that make clear the connections between words derived by a variety of routes from originally common stock. As well as giving the answers to questions about the derivation of individual words, it is a fascinating book to browse through, since every page points out links with other entries. It is easy to pursue such trails as the longer articles are written as continuous prose clearly divided up by means of numbered paragraphs and subheadings, and there is a careful system of cross-references. In addition to the main A-Z listing, there are extensive lists of prefixes, suffixes, and elements used in the creation of new vocabulary. Similar books: Dictionary of Word Origins by Joseph T. Shipley Mrs. Byrne's Dictionary of Unusual, Obscure, and Preposterous Words by Josefa Heifetz Byrne A Dictionary of American Idioms by Adam Makkai A dictionary of contemporary American usage by Bergen Evans The roots of English by Robert Claiborne Dictionary of Word and Phrase Orgins by William Morris A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English by Eric Partridge Depraved and Insulting English by Peter Novobatzky American Slang by Robert L. Chapman Oxford Dictionary of Euphemisms by R. W. Holder The Word Museum by Jeffrey Kacirk Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words by Bill Bryson The F-Word by Jesse Sheidlower The Wordsworth Dictionary of Intriguing Words by Paul Hellweg Bernstein's Reverse Dictionary by Theodore M. Bernstein