The Big Books of Fall
Genres

Etymology


Etymology Books

The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language
The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way
The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary
The Horologicon: A Day's Jaunt Through the Lost Words of the English Language
Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States
Word Perfect: Etymological Entertainment For Every Day of the Year
Dictionary of Word Origins: Histories of More Than 8,000 English-Language Words
The Story of English in 100 Words
Proto: How One Ancient Language Went Global
Word Origins ... and How We Know Them: Etymology for Everyone
Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold History of English
Babel
The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows
Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language
Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World
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Lists

Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne TrussThe Mother Tongue by Bill BrysonThe Professor and the Madman by Simon WinchesterBecause Internet by Gretchen McCullochThe Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr.
Best Popular Language Books on Goodreads
181 books — 41 voters
Course in General Linguistics by Ferdinand de SaussureThe Language Instinct by Steven PinkerAn Introduction to Language by Victoria A. FromkinThe Study of Language by George YuleMetaphors We Live By by George Lakoff
Best Books about Linguistics
257 books — 225 voters

When Liberty Enslaves by Jerry AvetaMerriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary by Merriam-WebsterThe Oxford English Dictionary by John Andrew SimpsonHope in the Valley by Penelope BourdillonOxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary by A.S. Hornby
Dictionaries
397 books — 75 voters

Quotes Tagged “Etymology”

David Graeber
“ The English word “free,” for instance, is derived from a German root meaning “friend,” since to be free meant to be able to make friends, to keep promises, to live within a community of equals. ”
― David Graeber, Debt: The First 5,000 Years
2 likes

Terry Pratchett
“ Vimes had believed all his life that the Watch were called coppers because they carried copper badges, but no, said Carrot, it comes from the old word cappere, to capture. ”
― Terry Pratchett, Men at Arms
1 likes

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Videos Tagged “Etymology”

The Pronunciation of Beson
The Pronunciation of Beson
Roy Blount at the Chicago Humanities Festival
Roy Blount at the Chicago Humanities Festival
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Groups Tagged "Etymology"

Underground Knowledge — A discussion group This global discussion group has been designed to encourage debates about important and underrep…more
26,144 members, last active 7 hours ago
This is for anyone interested in linguistics and languages, as well as their histories and devel…more
11 members, last active 10 years ago
Angela B. Chrysler Fire and Lies Release Party and Takeover Event AUTHORS! I'm moving ALL the posts to my blog…more
107 members, last active 10 years ago