Bloomsbury Dictionary of Word Origins - Softcover

Ayto, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0747509719 ISBN 13: 9780747509714

Publisher: Arcade Publishing, 1991

Synopsis

This dictionary covers the history of 8000 words, arranged alphabetically with cross-references. It shows how English has developed, how the main influences on the language have intermingled, and deals with new words which emerge every year. John Ayto compiled the "Longman Register of New Words".

About this title

From Library Journal

An alphabetical listing of some 8000 English words with their histories, this book omits other dictionary features such as pronunciation, part of speech, and, in most cases, definitions. It is interesting to explore the sometimes surprising groups of related words; under doctor , for example, we are referred to 11 other entries, ranging from dainty to paradox . The date of a word's first appearance in the language is indicated by century or by "OE" for Old English. The author is English, so Americans will miss some typically American words such as raccoon , ranch , or stoop (porch). Like Craig M. Carver's recent (and smaller) History of English in Its Own Words ( LJ 6/15/91), this book is not a reference acquisition for any library owning the OED or Webster's unabridged, but it makes interesting reading for the public library patron or the linguistics or English student.
- Catherine V. von Schon, SUNY at Stony Brook
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Arcade Publishing
• Publication date: 1991
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0747509719
• ISBN 13: 9780747509714
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 592