Origin Uncertain: Unraveling the Mysteries of Etymology

by Anatoly Liberman

Lost origins of words revealed.

We like to recount that goodbye started out as "god be with you," that whiskey comes from the Gaelic for "water of life," or that avocado originated as the Aztec word for "testicle." But there are many words with origins unknown, disputed, or so buried in old journals that they may as well be lost to the general public. In Origin Unraveling the Mysteries of Etymology, eminent etymologist Anatoly Liberman draws on his professional expertise and etymological database to tell the stories of less understood words such as nerd, fake, ain't, hitchhike, trash, curmudgeon, and quiz, as well as puzzling idioms like kick the bucket and pay through the nose. By casting a net so broadly, the book addresses language history, language usage (including grammar), history (both ancient and modern), religion, superstitions, and material culture.

Writing in the spirit of adventure through the annals of word origins, Liberman also shows how historical linguists construct etymologies, how to evaluate competing explanations, and how to pursue further research.

Genres: Nonfiction, Language, History

344 pages, Hardcover

Published April 1, 2024

About the author

Anatoly Liberman is a philologist and professor at the University of Minnesota.

Reviews

[Sue]

DNF - 46%

Devastatingly dry writing, even for a language enthusiast such as myself. Some arguments are not particularly convincing (for example: immediately dismissing potential etymons on the basis that the two words do not begin or end with the same letter). The author is quite aged at this point and that reflects in his assumptions about the modern lexicon. Never have I been so perplexed about chosen metaphors for masturbation. Makes me feel like I don't actually know English, though it is my mother tongue. When he doesn't have enough to say for one entry, he fills it with tangentially (if that) related "discussions" about other words in other languages that might kind of sound similar or have a joined background.

Chooses to repeat entire paragraphs word for word for the reader that may not be reading from cover to cover but just picking it up out of curiosity for one word instead of, oh I don't know, just telling the reader where to find the original discussion.

Only mildly interest parts were the brief glimpses about sound imitative words.

[Virginprune · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book for those who have already finished reading all the dictionaries, and wonder what's next.

No doubt the author is an eminent authority in his field, and one gets the impression that he may also be a witty and illuminating conversationalist - but this book, this book...

I suppose the title is a good place to start - I was excited about the possibilities of "Unraveling the Mysteries of Etymology", but naively I pictured some kind of sleuth-work, leading to satisfying and original conclusions, informed along the way by erudite, amusing and interesting colour and detail. There was some of the latter, but often strewn around, rather like the unravelling of a neatly-wound ball of wool. The clue was in the first part of the book's title. All the subjects of the book's enquiries remain frustratingly "origin unknown." Far too much of this book involves aimless noodling around loosely-defined themes. Occasionally, obvious paths of enquiry are simply ignored. Those that are followed lead to dead ends.

Reading this book felt a little like walking unseen into a stranger's office, or a university classroom, part-way through a course. The author describes the chapters as "essays", and has apparently produced a seminal work on the internet - this might explain the rather uncanny or unkempt feel of this as a book. It should be more than a re-jigged blog! At least for newcomers.

All told, the book probably rewards re-reading, and is presumably far more valuable to those in the field. But as a stand-alone read, i found it disappointing.

[Liana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Much of my reaction to this book is reflected in my reaction to this quote from it: "The author of a book on etymology is supposed to explain the origin of the words included in its pages. But if the sought-for origin is known and can be found in a dictionary or on the Internet, what is the point of writing such a book?", a question which baffled me.

People write books with things discoverable on the internet all the time. Readers still enjoy them, and collected into a long form, you can make different connections or teach deeper lessons. This author didn't try at all to do that though.

Also the decision to start a book with a chapter regarding obscure or extinct words is a great way to lose the audience. Once we actually got into words I might actually be invested in, it didn't get better.

[Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a boring and dry-written book this is. If you have sleep problems, this is the perfect book for you. Etymology is the basic thing each and every lover of languages should take into account. Doing so will enrich your linguistic background and offer you more possibilities, after learning how that particular language and its words evolved.
But not in this case, where the author himself gets lost and is totally confused when tackling the challenge of various and rare English words. In short: skip it! A waste of your precious time!

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars? Didn't read the entire thing as it's really not a book that needs to be read cover-to-cover. I would say it works better in its original form (as a series of posts on the author's blog) over a book as there's no through-line or plot that ties everything together. It instead feels like reading a dictionary with a bunch of disconnected entries about the origins of random words. Unless you're a real etymology buff, the amount of detail in each post is overkill.

[Annie M · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dry. Dry. Dry.
I may not finish this. If you want to read this one because you are interested in words, language, etc., Be prepared for boring recitals of his research. I found it hard to care.
Read Whorter instead.

[Fredrika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Skimmed this. More clinical language and commentary than I expected.

[Rayfes Mondal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like linguistics but couldn't really get into this one. As a Texan I did enjoy the origins of brisket