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256 books
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224 voters
Etymology Books
Showing 1-50 of 525
The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language (Hardcover)
by (shelved 47 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.23 — 12,855 ratings — published 2011
The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way (Paperback)
by (shelved 23 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.91 — 44,856 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 — 123,778 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 — 2,578 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 — 16,263 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 4.02 — 237 ratings — published 1990
Word Perfect: Etymological Entertainment For Every Day of the Year (Hardcover)
by (shelved 9 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.27 — 1,635 ratings — published 2021
The Story of English in 100 Words (Hardcover)
by (shelved 9 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.92 — 2,589 ratings — published 2011
Proto: How One Ancient Language Went Global (Hardcover)
by (shelved 7 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.14 — 4,092 ratings — published 2025
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 — 7,254 ratings — published 2008
Babel (Hardcover)
by (shelved 6 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.13 — 526,405 ratings — published 2022
The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows (Hardcover)
by (shelved 6 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.44 — 6,556 ratings — published 2018
Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language (Hardcover)
by (shelved 6 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.04 — 12,793 ratings — published 2019
Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World (Paperback)
by (shelved 6 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.06 — 3,130 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 — 7,550 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
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
Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries (Hardcover)
by (shelved 5 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.18 — 9,493 ratings — published 2017
Word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends (Hardcover)
by (shelved 5 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.45 — 348 ratings — published 2004
Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language (Hardcover)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.70 — 5,244 ratings — published 2025
The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English (Hardcover)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.24 — 1,168 ratings — published 2021
Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language (Hardcover)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.22 — 29,906 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 — 1,980 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 — 2,413 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 — 362 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 — 660 ratings — published 2004
Words from Hell: Unearthing the Darkest Secrets of English Etymology (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.20 — 197 ratings — published 2023
Interesting Stories about Curious Words: From Stealing Thunder to Red Herrings (Kindle Edition)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.60 — 427 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 — 849 ratings — published 2024
Politics and the English Language (Kindle Edition)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.30 — 9,160 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 — 4,468 ratings — published 2021
The Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities: A Yearbook of Forgotten Words (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.13 — 174 ratings — published 2017
The Story of Human Language (Audio CD)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.40 — 3,192 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 — 178 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 — 137 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 — 747 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 — 623 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 — 4,139 ratings — published 2005
“Few now would associate de-roofing with the police, but the verb 'to detect' originated in detegere—a detective raises the roof, figuratively.”
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“When we are disputing about the proper meaning to be attached to a particular word in a sentence, etymology is of little use. Only children run to the dictionary to settle an argument. But if we would consider the nature of meaning, and the relation between thought and things, we cannot profitably dispense with etymology. It is long since men gave up the notion that the variety of natural species and the secrets of their relation to each other can be understood apart from their history; but many thinkers still seek to confine the science of language, as the Linnaeans once confined botany, within a sort of network of timeless abstractions. Method, for them, is another name for classification; but that is a blind alley.”
― Saving the Appearances: A Study in Idolatry
― Saving the Appearances: A Study in Idolatry
