Synopses & Reviews
As all lovers of language know, words are the source of our very understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
Often, however, our use of language is so automatic that we neglect to consider where those words came from and what they assume. What are the implications, beyond the simple dictionary definitions, of using words such as privilege, hysteria, seminal, and gyp?
Browsing through the pages of The Barhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology is like exploring the historical, political, and rhetorical wonderland of our linguistic heritage. We see the evolution of ideas, as rootword connections that now seem arbitrary are traced to schools of thought from the past. We also find an opportunity to examine how the sometimes backwards, sometimes hilarious, and sometimes illuminating ideologies built into our language affect our modern thinking.
Written in a fresh, accessible style, this book provides the derivations of over 21,000 English-language words without resorting to the use of abbreviations, symbols, or technical terminology. Drawing on the most current American scholarship, and focusing onthe core words in contemporary English, The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology is both a diverting browse and a thinking person's Bible.
Synopsis
A] combination of readability with scholarship. . . of exceptional quality. --American Library Association (Reference Books Bulletin)
As all lovers of language know, words are the source of our very understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
Often, however, our use of language is so automatic that we neglect to consider where those words came from and what they assume. What are the implications, beyond the simple dictionary definitions, of using words such as privilege, hysteria, seminal, and gyp?
Browsing through the pages of The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology is like exploring the historical, political, and rhetorical wonderland of our linguistic heritage. We see the evolution of ideas, as root word connections that now seem arbitrary are traced to schools of thought from the past. We also find an opportunity to examine how the sometimes backwards, sometimes hilarious, and sometimes illuminating ideologies built into our language affect our modern thinking.
Written in a fresh, accessible style, The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology provides the derivations of over 21,000 English-language words without resorting to the use of abbreviations, symbols, or technical terminology. Drawing on the most current American scholarship, and focusing on the core words in contemporary English, this fascinating book is both a diverting browse and a thinking person's Bible.
Synopsis
Detailed and readable histories for the origins of more than 25,000 words in the English language. Its fresh, accessible writing style focuses on core words in contemporary American English and the book is not bogged down with the abbreviations and symbols so often used by lexicographers.
About the Author
Robert K. Barnhart is a respected lexicographer and author of several dictionaries, including The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, the World Book Dictionary, the Thorndlike-Barnhart School Dictionaries and the Barnhart Dictionaries of New English.