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176 books
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47 voters
Etymology Books
Showing 1-50 of 507
The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language (Hardcover)
by (shelved 45 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.23 — 12,392 ratings — published 2011
The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way (Paperback)
by (shelved 22 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.91 — 44,087 ratings — published 1990
The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary (Paperback)
by (shelved 19 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.84 — 121,585 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 — 2,537 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 — 15,986 ratings — published 1994
The Story of English in 100 Words (Hardcover)
by (shelved 9 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.92 — 2,534 ratings — published 2011
Dictionary of Word Origins: Histories of More Than 8,000 English-Language Words (Paperback)
by (shelved 9 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.01 — 237 ratings — published 1990
Word Perfect: Etymological Entertainment For Every Day of the Year (Hardcover)
by (shelved 8 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.28 — 1,541 ratings — published 2021
Word Origins ... and How We Know Them: Etymology for Everyone (Hardcover)
by (shelved 7 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.48 — 204 ratings — published 2005
Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold History of English (Paperback)
by (shelved 7 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.83 — 7,178 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 3.61 — 882 ratings — published 2008
Babel (Hardcover)
by (shelved 6 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.15 — 458,677 ratings — published 2022
Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language (Hardcover)
by (shelved 6 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.05 — 12,459 ratings — published 2019
Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World (Paperback)
by (shelved 6 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.07 — 3,083 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 — 7,324 ratings — published 2013
Chambers Dictionary of Etymology (Hardcover)
by (shelved 6 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.50 — 110 ratings — published 1988
The Secret Life of Words: How English Became English (Hardcover)
by (shelved 6 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.70 — 547 ratings — published 2008
The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows (Hardcover)
by (shelved 5 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.45 — 5,994 ratings — published 2021
Word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends (Hardcover)
by (shelved 5 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.45 — 349 ratings — published 2004
The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English (Hardcover)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.24 — 1,078 ratings — published 2021
Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language (Hardcover)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.23 — 27,627 ratings — published 2019
Port Out, Starboard Home (Hardcover)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.31 — 166 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 — 1,945 ratings — published 2016
Unfortunate English: The Gloomy Truth Behind the Words You Use (Hardcover)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.57 — 159 ratings — published 2006
The Story of English (Paperback)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.09 — 2,402 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 3.46 — 286 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 3.65 — 358 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
Proto: How One Ancient Language Went Global (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.21 — 2,212 ratings — published 2025
Red Herrings and White Elephants (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.70 — 632 ratings — published 2004
Politics and the English Language (Kindle Edition)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.29 — 8,680 ratings — published 1946
Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter — Then, Now, and Forever (Kindle Edition)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.94 — 4,283 ratings — published 2021
The Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities: A Yearbook of Forgotten Words (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.13 — 165 ratings — published 2017
The Story of Human Language (Audio CD)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.41 — 3,113 ratings — published 2004
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 3.65 — 89 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
Expletive Deleted: A Good Look at Bad Language (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.68 — 334 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 — 744 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 — 621 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 — 4,049 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
Useless Etymology: Offbeat Word Origins for Curious Minds (Hardcover)
by (shelved 2 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.31 — 186 ratings — published 2025
Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language (Hardcover)
by (shelved 2 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.78 — 3,344 ratings — published 2025
The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World (Hardcover)
by (shelved 2 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.99 — 3,931 ratings — published 2007
Interesting Stories about Curious Words: From Stealing Thunder to Red Herrings (Kindle Edition)
by (shelved 2 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.57 — 359 ratings — published 2023
Ancient Writing and the History of the Alphabet (Audible Audio)
by (shelved 2 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.94 — 250 ratings — published
“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
“Etymology” is from the Greek and means the study (logia) of the “literal meaning of a word according to its origin” (etymon).... It can be a huge help in spelling. For instance, people sometimes misspell “iridescent.”... Rather than just try to memorize the spelling, if you look at the etymology—study the entrails of the word—you find that “iris, irid” is a combining form that comes from the Greek Iris, the goddess of the rainbow and the messenger of the gods.... [O]nce you know that “iridescent” comes from Iris, you’ll never spell it wrong.”
― Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen
― Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen
