100 Words Every Word Lover Should Know

by American Heritage

The newest title in the popular 100 Words series, 100 Words Every Word Lover Should Know is the perfect book for people who enjoy reading about words that have absorbing histories, intriguing coinages, surprising but useful meanings, or have been used by famous writers throughout the history of English.

Many of these 100 words are accompanied by notes that explain in detail the path the word has undertaken in its journey to its current meaning, providing useful etymological information about how the usage of a word develops over time. Additionally, 100 Words Every Word Lover Should Know features scores of quotations from classical and contemporary authors, from Henry James and Jane Austen to Sylvia Plath and William Golding, Douglas Coupland and Donna Tartt.

A great gift for anyone who appreciates the beauty, history, and depth of the English language, 100 Words Every Word Lover Should Know will appeal to all who are avid readers and take pride in a vibrant, active vocabulary.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Writing, Language

96 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2005

Reviews

[Aliyah Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminded me of words I had once loved and introduced me to words I had not yet discovered. Some words were practical and will most definitely be used while others were random, maybe 10-15 of them should not have been in this book hence the star deduction.

[Shelley Alongi]

I knew about 75% of these words. I’ll keep the book because I could see in writing some of the meanings and definitions. I knew what the words meant but sometimes I like to see definitions written out. I always did enjoy reading the dictionary. :-) I pick a lot of the meetings up from context just like I’m trying to teach myself German. I do it the same way and then when I can’t tell myself what something means I go look it up so I think I like this series. :-)

[Christine Whittington · Rating 3 out of 5]

Last book of 2017--read aloud and picked our favorite words--milieu and sesquipedalian. There were very few words we didn't already know and a few that were puzzling as to why every word lover should know them (leprechaun? foccacia? caribou?). On the other hand, there are some I want to remember for my next snarky comment (jeremiad and sesquipedalian).

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a neat little (as quick as you want it to be) read. Lots of familiar words and several familiar words I've been using wrong. The jewel in the crown of this tiny book is/are the excerpts-purple prose nearly but staggering use of some of the words is sheer delight. You'd read it for the examples alone!

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the bathroom book in a place I was staying and I read it all during the few days I was there.

Word choices were odd; the book contained an inordinate amount of proper nouns or more, large concepts than just vocabulary. I found that odd.

Whatever, it is what it is. The end.

[Carrot · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book! The memories associated with the process of burrowing this book and the journey it went through with me greatly surpasses the helpfulness of it. But yes, definitely words every word lover should know.

Shoutout to the librarians and my library! From your VIP :)

[Irina Goldberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very quick fun collection of beautiful words. There are many literary quotations as examples of the words.

[Cam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice little book. The 100 words are well-chosen and aren't overwhelming to digest. Most of them are practical enough to use and will improve people's felicity (although I'd avoid non-ironically using sesquipedalian).

A few of my favourite inclusions were the quirkier ones: ersatz (an inferior imitation), syzygy (the alignment of celestial bodies), nudnik (a pestering person), and cruciverbalist (an avid crossworder).

A small number of common words were included because of their interesting etymological histories, such as cappuccino (from the resemblance of its colour to the colour of Capuchin monks clothing), the autological oxymoron (derived from sharp and dull), and the quintessentially Irish word leprechaun which is derived from Latin instead of Old Irish.

The definitions are clear except for entry for chiasmus.

[Karna Converse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting choices but not as many "wow" words as I expected.

I read "100 words every word lover should know" after reading "100 Words To Make You Sound Great"
and thought the choices for that book were very good. Also, this book was published three years before the make-you-great book--and nearly 8 years ago--which may attribute to its contents.

I give the American Heritage series, however, five stars. Reading and understanding 100 words at a time is do-able; the word history and pronunciation guides are informative but not overwhelming; the format is appealing.

[Hilda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who really knows me can tell you I'm all about the words :) Even when it comes to music I get into the lyrics before the actual sound of the song.

I love to write and words are a big deal for me. Using the right words makes a difference when your writing. It makes the story more interesting and detailed.

Having said that...this is a great book of words to ponder and use lavishly :)

[Jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great. I can't wait to read the other books in this series.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a little disappointed with the word selection.
Why in the world would they include "cappucino"??

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of the series. A few new ones in this one and a whole lot of words i really do, indeed, love using.

[Jill Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read to pick up every now and again...

[Kali Desautels · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short - I did learn 10 new words, at least!!