It’s All Greek: Borrowed Words and their Histories

by Alexander Tulloch

Most of us are aware that the words for some of our most important concepts stem from ancient Greek roots—words such as geometry, democracy, technology, and aesthetics. But lesser known is the wide and varied scope of old Athenian influence on the English language, which extends to some of our most mundane, run-of-the-mill words—words like purse, sketch, and marmalade.

This book offers a word-by-word look at the influence of Greek on everyday words in English, telling the stories behind the etymological developments of each example and tracing their routes into modern English via Latin and European languages. It also explains connections with ancient Greek culture, in particular mythology, politics, and warfare, and includes proverbs and quotations from Greek literature. Revealing how deeply indebted we are to the language spoken in Athens 2,500 years ago, this book is the perfect gift for any logophile.

Genres: Nonfiction, Classics, Ancient History, Language, Classical Studies, Linguistics, History

236 pages, Hardcover

First published October 26, 2018

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ploughed through this in one day, though actually, it was less of a ploughing and more of a strolling, as Tulloch's prose is light and breezy, without being overfamiliar or jokey. The text is embellished with illustrations from Greek vases, which adds to the charm.

There's loads of interesting cultural and historical information hidden in the Greek elements of English, and Tulloch is a friendly and authoritative guide.

[Deseh · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a very interesting book specially if you are into languages and linguistics. I've learned quite a lot.

[Heino Viik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complements studing Greek and vice versa.

[ACJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5, A nice read!

/*Personal Notes*/
* Baritone from Barus (heavy), similar to भारी and பாரம் (weight vs heavy?)
* Teinein - root of Tension, tendon?
* Basil -> Basilica
* Boy -> Bovine
* Carol -> Chorus, Choreo?
* Charisma -> Charm, character?
* Cemetery -> koimao hence coma?
* Chair -> Cathedral
* Chimney -> Chamber
* Domestic -> Domain?
* Clinic -> Incline?
* Consider ~ with sidus, contemplate ~ with Temple?
* Crisis - Criterion, thus critic?
* Drastic -> Drama
* Embryo -> brew?
* Emporium -> Empire?
* Euphoria -> Eulogy?
* Milkyway Galaxy = Milkyway milk-xy?
* Hulk -> haul thus hull?
* Hysteria -> Hymen?
* Imp -> impetus?
* Know -> ज्ञान
* Manthanein -> मान लेना?
* Aster -> Asterisk?
* Phrenike -> Frenetic?
* Nausea -> नाव
* Pirates -> Piraeus?
* Polis -> polite?
* Pompous/ Pompe -> போ ?(send vs go)
* Purse -> Reimburse?
* Rhein -> Rhine?
* Sandal wood = Wood wood?
* Sarcasm -> Snark?
Travel Reads: Athens/Delphi

[R.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Κριτική στα Ελληνικά πιο κάτω...

Interesting little book. The origin of some words/expressions are very well-known while it's hard to imagine where some others come from. I can't judge the book for scientific accurasy of course, but I found it fascinating for your average reader.


Ενδιαφέρον. Κάποιες λέξεις είναι πολύ γνωστές, σε κάποιες άλλες δεν πάει το μυαλό σου από που προέρχονται. Οι προσθήκες στην Ελληνική έκδοση κάνουν το βιβλίο ακόμα πιο πλούσιο. Εδώ που τα λέμε όμως είναι και λιγάκι σουρεαλιστική εμπειρία να διαβάζεις την μετάφραση από τα Αγγλικά ενός βιβλίου που εξηγεί στους Άγγλους (εκεί εστιάζει πιο πολύ και όχι γενικά στα Αγγλικά που μιλάνε σε άλλες χώρες) πως πολλές λέξεις προέρχονται από τα Ελληνικά.

[Tumelo Motaung · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tulloch's collection of words that the English langauge has borrowed from the Greek is quite insightful. Each story is accompanied by a brief history, and sometimes an interesting fact, which will come in handy in my teaching of the English language. Students remember new words better when they can relate them to an appealing fact.
It's quite short, and to the point, with an index of the words listed at the back of the book for easy access. A useful reference. My six year old enjoyed making up stories abut the Greek illustrations scattered throughout the book.

[Kristina Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting, informative, and easy to read! Great etymological explanations! 🏛️🏺🇬🇷