397 books
—
75 voters
Discover new books on Goodreads
Meet your next favorite book
Etymology Books
Showing 1-50 of 528
The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language (Hardcover)
by (shelved 47 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.23 — 12,948 ratings — published 2011
The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way (Paperback)
by (shelved 24 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.91 — 44,984 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 — 124,278 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 — 2,588 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 — 16,325 ratings — published 1994
Word Perfect: Etymological Entertainment For Every Day of the Year (Hardcover)
by (shelved 10 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.28 — 1,650 ratings — published 2021
Dictionary of Word Origins: Histories of More Than 8,000 English-Language Words (Paperback)
by (shelved 10 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.03 — 239 ratings — published 1990
The Story of English in 100 Words (Hardcover)
by (shelved 9 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.93 — 2,598 ratings — published 2011
Proto: How One Ancient Language Went Global (Hardcover)
by (shelved 8 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.13 — 4,533 ratings — published 2025
Word Origins ... and How We Know Them: Etymology for Everyone (Hardcover)
by (shelved 7 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.49 — 205 ratings — published 2005
Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold History of English (Paperback)
by (shelved 7 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.83 — 7,268 ratings — published 2008
Babel (Hardcover)
by (shelved 6 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.13 — 539,286 ratings — published 2022
The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows (Hardcover)
by (shelved 6 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.44 — 6,665 ratings — published 2018
Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language (Hardcover)
by (shelved 6 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.04 — 12,843 ratings — published 2019
Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World (Paperback)
by (shelved 6 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.06 — 3,147 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 — 7,604 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 — 550 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 6 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.61 — 880 ratings — published 2008
Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language (Hardcover)
by (shelved 5 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.70 — 5,541 ratings — published 2025
Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries (Hardcover)
by (shelved 5 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.18 — 9,547 ratings — published 2017
Word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends (Hardcover)
by (shelved 5 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.46 — 347 ratings — published 2004
The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English (Hardcover)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.24 — 1,186 ratings — published 2021
Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language (Hardcover)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.22 — 30,347 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 4.13 — 1,987 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 — 2,414 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 — 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 3.64 — 363 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 3.56 — 217 ratings — published 2007
Red Herrings and White Elephants (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.71 — 664 ratings — published 2004
Words from Hell: Unearthing the Darkest Secrets of English Etymology (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.21 — 204 ratings — published 2023
Interesting Stories about Curious Words: From Stealing Thunder to Red Herrings (Kindle Edition)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.61 — 445 ratings — published 2023
Says Who? A Kinder, Funner Usage Guide for Everyone Who Cares About Words (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.09 — 859 ratings — published 2024
Politics and the English Language (Kindle Edition)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.30 — 9,259 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 — 4,509 ratings — published 2021
The Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities: A Yearbook of Forgotten Words (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.12 — 176 ratings — published 2017
The Story of Human Language (Audio CD)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.40 — 3,210 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 3.66 — 41 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 — 92 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 — 179 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 — 138 ratings — published 1965
Expletive Deleted: A Good Look at Bad Language (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.67 — 332 ratings — published 2004
Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology: An Accessible Linguistics Reference Book on the Origins of 21,000 English Words (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.47 — 88 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 — 748 ratings — published 1999
Origins of the Specious: Myths and Misconceptions of the English Language (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.80 — 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 — 4,169 ratings — published 2005
“There has been much conjecture as to the origin of the word VEGAN and its meaning. . . in the first instance it was an attempt to get beyond the rather negative phrase “non-dairy vegetarian” . . . being both the beginning and the end yet implying hopefully that what starts as vegetarian may finish as vegan.”
―
―
“I cannot separate the aesthetic pleasure of seeing a butterfly and the scientific pleasure of knowing what it is.”
―
―
