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 xii
... tion of why a rather mundane theory of origin is to be preferred to a more popular story . ( See discussion at tinker . ) Recall always that we , like all other etymologists and most other human beings , are imperfect . The articles in ...
... tion of why a rather mundane theory of origin is to be preferred to a more popular story . ( See discussion at tinker . ) Recall always that we , like all other etymologists and most other human beings , are imperfect . The articles in ...
Page 3
... tion of an Unhealthy Diet " ; tip , as from " to improve performance " ; wop , from " without passport " ; and gorp ( trail - munch ) , from " good old raisins & peanuts . " ( See also cop , posh . ) Such expansions amount to a parlor ...
... tion of an Unhealthy Diet " ; tip , as from " to improve performance " ; wop , from " without passport " ; and gorp ( trail - munch ) , from " good old raisins & peanuts . " ( See also cop , posh . ) Such expansions amount to a parlor ...
Page 5
... tion the aegis became an impregnable , shield - like weapon that was fash- ioned by the metalworking god Hephaestus to resemble a thundercloud and fringed with tassels suggestive of thunderbolts . Zeus occasionally entrusted the aegis ...
... tion the aegis became an impregnable , shield - like weapon that was fash- ioned by the metalworking god Hephaestus to resemble a thundercloud and fringed with tassels suggestive of thunderbolts . Zeus occasionally entrusted the aegis ...
Page 8
... tion here is a little plainer . We have evidence of a seventeenth - century contraction ha'nt used for both ' have not ' and ' has not ' . ( Have you noticed how the middle consonant always seems to disappear from these old con ...
... tion here is a little plainer . We have evidence of a seventeenth - century contraction ha'nt used for both ' have not ' and ' has not ' . ( Have you noticed how the middle consonant always seems to disappear from these old con ...
Page 27
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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...