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. |
From inside the book
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Page v
... spelling . But even if etymology may strike us as a discouraging word that should never be heard , the information that etymologists gather for us can often be not just interesting , but downright delightful . Turned into brief word ...
... spelling . But even if etymology may strike us as a discouraging word that should never be heard , the information that etymologists gather for us can often be not just interesting , but downright delightful . Turned into brief word ...
Page viii
... spelling , since several of the letters signify sounds different from what the same letters signify today . Much of this came about during the Great Vowel Shift in the fifteenth , sixteenth , and seventeenth centu- ries . That is the ...
... spelling , since several of the letters signify sounds different from what the same letters signify today . Much of this came about during the Great Vowel Shift in the fifteenth , sixteenth , and seventeenth centu- ries . That is the ...
Page xi
... spelling was transformed . Only later did it acquire the derogatory meaning more familiar to us now . Euphemism too , though very well- intentioned , has caused many a word to take on a pejorative meaning . Peo- ple are often reluctant ...
... spelling was transformed . Only later did it acquire the derogatory meaning more familiar to us now . Euphemism too , though very well- intentioned , has caused many a word to take on a pejorative meaning . Peo- ple are often reluctant ...
Page xii
... spelling — is followed by a bracketed etymology for each . The style in which these etymologies are written is based upon that used for the etymologies in Webster's Third New International Dictio- nary . The etyma of the word are ...
... spelling — is followed by a bracketed etymology for each . The style in which these etymologies are written is based upon that used for the etymologies in Webster's Third New International Dictio- nary . The etyma of the word are ...
Page xiii
... spellings of a single word . Earlier writ- ers of English and other languages did not insist , as we do today , on unifor- mity of spelling : ferret ... [ ME feret , ferret , furet , fr . MF furet , fuiret . . . ] Some of the languages ...
... spellings of a single word . Earlier writ- ers of English and other languages did not insist , as we do today , on unifor- mity of spelling : ferret ... [ ME feret , ferret , furet , fr . MF furet , fuiret . . . ] Some of the languages ...
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...