The Merriam-Webster New Book of Word HistoriesMerriam-Webster, 1991 - 526 pages A gold mine of fascinating word histories! This engaging and informative book reveals the origins of 1,500 words from "abigail" to "zombie", tracing in terms from the mythology of ancient Greece to the comic strips of the 20th century. This delightful volume will help you discover how a skimpy bathing suit came to be called a "bikini" and what "serendipity" has to do with Horace Walpole. |
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Page viii
... are of foreign origin . Of the foreign languages affecting the Old English vocab- ulary , the most influential was Latin . Ecclesiastical terms especially , like Introduction ix priest , vicar , and mass , were viii Introduction.
... are of foreign origin . Of the foreign languages affecting the Old English vocab- ulary , the most influential was Latin . Ecclesiastical terms especially , like Introduction ix priest , vicar , and mass , were viii Introduction.
Page ix
... especially in the north and the east . This prolonged , if frequently unfriendly , contact had a considerable and varied influence on the English vocabulary . In a few instances the influ- ence of a Scandinavian cognate gave an English ...
... especially in the north and the east . This prolonged , if frequently unfriendly , contact had a considerable and varied influence on the English vocabulary . In a few instances the influ- ence of a Scandinavian cognate gave an English ...
Page xii
... especially the more modern ones , come from our own files . Occasionally , in the discussion of a word's history , we say that a word entered the lan- guage in some specified century . By this we mean only that the earliest attested use ...
... especially the more modern ones , come from our own files . Occasionally , in the discussion of a word's history , we say that a word entered the lan- guage in some specified century . By this we mean only that the earliest attested use ...
Page xvi
... especially F ... .French ( since A.D. 1600 ) fem ..feminine MHG ff .... ..and the following ones MIT . fl .. ..flourished ML . .Mexican Spanish .Middle French ( A.D. 1300- 1600 ) MGk .... Middle Greek ( A.D. 600- 1500 ) Middle High ...
... especially F ... .French ( since A.D. 1600 ) fem ..feminine MHG ff .... ..and the following ones MIT . fl .. ..flourished ML . .Mexican Spanish .Middle French ( A.D. 1300- 1600 ) MGk .... Middle Greek ( A.D. 600- 1500 ) Middle High ...
Page 3
... especially tenacious when the word in question is in fact of obscure or disputed or unknown etymology . Thus we have spud ' potato ' falsely explained as being from " Society for the Preven- tion of an Unhealthy Diet " ; tip , as from ...
... especially tenacious when the word in question is in fact of obscure or disputed or unknown etymology . Thus we have spud ' potato ' falsely explained as being from " Society for the Preven- tion of an Unhealthy Diet " ; tip , as from ...
Common terms and phrases
adjective akin to Gk akin to OHG alter American ancient animal appeared applied assumed attested back-formation became began bird borrowed into English called Church cognate common compound denote developed dialect Dictionary diminutive Dutch earlier earliest early eighteenth century England English borrowed English word etymology fascism fifteenth folk etymology fourteenth century French word gave rise German glish Gmc origin Goth Greek horse influenced Italian known language Late Latin later Latin verb Latin word LIEBFRAUMILCH literally meaning meant Medieval Latin Middle English Middle French Modern English neut nineteenth century noun Old English Old French Old High German Old Norse perh person phrase plural popular prob pronunciation refer Roman semantic seventeenth century Shakespeare similar sixteenth century song sound Spanish spelling synonym teenth century term tion trans translation turn verb Vulgar Latin WGmc writing
Popular passages
Page 6 - So I took thought, and invented what I conceived to be the appropriate title of " agnostic." It came into my head as suggestively antithetic to the " gnostic " of Church history, who professed to know so much about the very things of which I was ignorant...