Sign in with Facebook
255 books
—
224 voters
Etymology Books
Showing 1-50 of 516
The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language (Hardcover)
by (shelved 47 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.23 — 12,688 ratings — published 2011
The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way (Paperback)
by (shelved 23 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.91 — 44,630 ratings — published 1990
The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary (Paperback)
by (shelved 20 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.84 — 122,874 ratings — published 1998
The Horologicon: A Day's Jaunt Through the Lost Words of the English Language (Kindle Edition)
by (shelved 11 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.95 — 2,565 ratings — published 2012
Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States (Paperback)
by (shelved 11 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.92 — 16,164 ratings — published 1994
Dictionary of Word Origins: Histories of More Than 8,000 English-Language Words (Paperback)
by (shelved 10 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.01 — 236 ratings — published 1990
Word Perfect: Etymological Entertainment For Every Day of the Year (Hardcover)
by (shelved 9 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.28 — 1,625 ratings — published 2021
The Story of English in 100 Words (Hardcover)
by (shelved 9 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.92 — 2,576 ratings — published 2011
Word Origins ... and How We Know Them: Etymology for Everyone (Hardcover)
by (shelved 7 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.50 — 204 ratings — published 2005
Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold History of English (Paperback)
by (shelved 7 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.83 — 7,232 ratings — published 2008
Alphabet Juice: The Energies, Gists, and Spirits of Letters, Words, and Combinations Thereof; Their Roots, Bones, Innards, Piths, Pips, and Secret Parts, Tinctures, Tonics, and Essences; With Examples of Their Usage Foul and Savory (Hardcover)
by (shelved 7 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.62 — 881 ratings — published 2008
Proto: How One Ancient Language Went Global (Hardcover)
by (shelved 6 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.15 — 3,474 ratings — published 2025
Babel (Hardcover)
by (shelved 6 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.13 — 505,092 ratings — published 2022
Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language (Hardcover)
by (shelved 6 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.04 — 12,666 ratings — published 2019
Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World (Paperback)
by (shelved 6 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.06 — 3,119 ratings — published 2005
The Elements of Eloquence: How to Turn the Perfect English Phrase (Hardcover)
by (shelved 6 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.35 — 7,469 ratings — published 2013
Chambers Dictionary of Etymology (Hardcover)
by (shelved 6 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.50 — 111 ratings — published 1988
The Secret Life of Words: How English Became English (Hardcover)
by (shelved 6 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.70 — 549 ratings — published 2008
The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows (Hardcover)
by (shelved 5 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.44 — 6,401 ratings — published 2018
Word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends (Hardcover)
by (shelved 5 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.45 — 348 ratings — published 2004
The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English (Hardcover)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.24 — 1,137 ratings — published 2021
Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language (Hardcover)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.22 — 29,206 ratings — published 2019
Port Out, Starboard Home (Hardcover)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.31 — 169 ratings — published 2000
Words on the Move: Why English Won't—and Can't—Sit Still (Like, Literally)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.14 — 1,962 ratings — published 2016
Unfortunate English: The Gloomy Truth Behind the Words You Use (Hardcover)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.56 — 159 ratings — published 2006
The Story of English (Paperback)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.09 — 2,407 ratings — published 1986
I Love it When You Talk Retro: Hoochie Coochie, Double Whammy, Drop a Dime, and the Forgotten Origins of American Speech (Hardcover)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.47 — 285 ratings — published 2009
In Other Words : A Language Lover's Guide to the Most Intriguing Words Around the World (Hardcover)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.64 — 360 ratings — published 2004
The Dord, the Diglot, and an Avocado or Two: The Hidden Lives and Strange Origins of Common and Not-So-Common Words (Paperback)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.55 — 216 ratings — published 2007
Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.72 — 4,829 ratings — published 2025
Red Herrings and White Elephants (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.71 — 657 ratings — published 2004
Words from Hell: Unearthing the Darkest Secrets of English Etymology (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.20 — 177 ratings — published 2023
Politics and the English Language (Kindle Edition)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.30 — 9,032 ratings — published 1946
Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter — Then, Now, and Forever (Kindle Edition)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.93 — 4,400 ratings — published 2021
The Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities: A Yearbook of Forgotten Words (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.14 — 173 ratings — published 2017
The Story of Human Language (Audio CD)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.40 — 3,158 ratings — published 2004
Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.18 — 9,378 ratings — published 2017
Dictionary of Latin and Greek Origins: A Comprehensive Guide to the Classical Origins of English Words (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.65 — 40 ratings — published 1997
Devious Derivations: Popular Misconceptions and More than 1000 True Origins of Common Words and Phrases (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.21 — 28 ratings — published 1993
The Unexpected Evolution of Language: Discover the Surprising Etymology of Everyday Words (Paperback)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.67 — 91 ratings — published 2012
The Painted Word: A Treasure Chest of Remarkable Words and Their Origins (Paperback)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.49 — 177 ratings — published 2012
The Concise Dictionary of English Etymology (Paperback)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.40 — 42 ratings — published 1882
English Words from Latin and Greek Elements (Paperback)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.06 — 136 ratings — published 1965
Expletive Deleted: A Good Look at Bad Language (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.67 — 331 ratings — published 2004
Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology: Scholarly and Accessible ― Over 21,000 Word Origins Without Abbreviations or Jargon (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.48 — 90 ratings — published 1995
The Meaning of Tingo and Other Extraordinary Words from around the World (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.48 — 746 ratings — published 1999
Origins of the Specious: Myths and Misconceptions of the English Language (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.81 — 622 ratings — published 2009
The Unfolding of Language: An Evolutionary Tour of Mankind's Greatest Invention (Paperback)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.22 — 4,111 ratings — published 2005
Spellbound: The Surprising Origins and Astonishing Secrets of English Spelling (Paperback)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.73 — 172 ratings — published 2006
The Wordspotter's Guide: Etymological Adventures Through the English Language (Kindle Edition)
by (shelved 2 times as etymology)
avg rating 0.0 — 0 ratings — published
“The word ‘sin’ is derived from the Indo-European root ‘es-,’ meaning ‘to be.’ When I discovered this etymology, I intuitively understood that for a [person] trapped in patriarchy, which is the religion of the entire planet, ‘to be’ in the fullest sense is ‘to sin'.”
―
―
“The Oxford English Dictionary itself feebly admits that 'In Middle English it is often doubtful whether blac, blak, blacke, means "black, dark," or "pale, colourless, wan, livid".'
...
Utterly illogical though all this may sound, there are two good explanations. Unfortunately, nobody is quite sure which one is true. So I shall give you both.
Once upon a time, there was an old Germanic word for burnt, which was black, or as close to black as makes no difference. The confusion arose because the old Germanics couldn't decide between black and white as to which color burning was. Some old Germans said that when things were burning they were bright and shiny, and other old Germans said that when things were burnt they turned black.
The result was a hopeless monochrome confusion, until everybody got bored and rode off to sack Rome.
...
The other theory (which is rather less likely, but still good fun) is that there was an old German word black which meant bare, void, and empty. What do you have if you don't have any colours?
Well, it's hard to say really. If you close your eyes you see nothing, which is black, but a blank piece of paper is, usually, white. Under this theory, blankness is the original sense and the two colors—black and white—are simply different interpretations of what blank means.”
― The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language
...
Utterly illogical though all this may sound, there are two good explanations. Unfortunately, nobody is quite sure which one is true. So I shall give you both.
Once upon a time, there was an old Germanic word for burnt, which was black, or as close to black as makes no difference. The confusion arose because the old Germanics couldn't decide between black and white as to which color burning was. Some old Germans said that when things were burning they were bright and shiny, and other old Germans said that when things were burnt they turned black.
The result was a hopeless monochrome confusion, until everybody got bored and rode off to sack Rome.
...
The other theory (which is rather less likely, but still good fun) is that there was an old German word black which meant bare, void, and empty. What do you have if you don't have any colours?
Well, it's hard to say really. If you close your eyes you see nothing, which is black, but a blank piece of paper is, usually, white. Under this theory, blankness is the original sense and the two colors—black and white—are simply different interpretations of what blank means.”
― The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language
