Comments on: How can I start an etymological education?

Question: How can I start an etymological education?

kmtiszen — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 10:17:26 -0800

So, I want to learn more about etymology. What's a good place to get started?

I'm looking for approachable, engrossing books on the topic. I don't want to flip through an etymology dictionary and learn by rote memorization; I want stories and interesting facts.

I've always been fascinated with the origins of words. I'm not looking to become an expert on the subject, but keep it as something of a side hobby. Are there any books out there that won't bore me to pieces while teaching me the wonders of language?

O wise hive mind, shower me with your suggestions!

And thanks!

By: grateful

grateful — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 10:30:41 -0800

Michael Quinion, of World Wide Words fame lists several books on his site.

By: greatgefilte

greatgefilte — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 10:33:58 -0800

I'm currently enjoying "Devious Derivations," by Hugh Rawson.

By: mdonley

mdonley — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 11:04:30 -0800

A few favorite links:

1) Not a book, but a radio show/podcast: A Way With Words, from KPBS San Diego, calls itself "a joyride through the English language", and answers call-in etymology questions. Both hosts are lexicographers/linguists.

2) Also not a book: MeFi's Own (TM) Languagehat has an excellent blog with heaps of links dealing with all things language-y. *waves to languagehat*

3) My dictionary of choice for etymologies and Indo-European and Semitic roots is the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, which is online and free here; in the entry for wheel, for example, if you click on the root at the bottom, you'll be taken to this page that explains other words that derive from the same root. Very cool.

Additionally, if you can get access to the online version through a public library, the Oxford English Dictionary is awesome - here's a post to AskMe from a week ago where the OED's exhaustive definition style made it easy to see that something someone thought was a neologism actually was hundreds of years old!

By: solongxenon

solongxenon — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 11:19:59 -0800

Wheelock's Latin.

My favorite dictionary for etymological purposes is the Funk and Wagnall's Canadian College Edition.

By: xueexueg

xueexueg — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 11:20:51 -0800

Anatoly Liberman has an etymology blog on the Oxfd. Univ. Press blog, and also a magisterial book, Word Origins and how we know them.

By: NYScott

NYScott — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 14:13:24 -0800

::
THIS site is good for searches, but they also list their sources (about a couple dozen books) HERE.
::

By: bluebird

bluebird — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 15:30:12 -0800

I am really enjoying The Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary. The beginning section about how people actually write dictionaries is really interesting.

By: kidsleepy

kidsleepy — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 16:36:35 -0800

Podictionary is an origin-of-the-word-of-the-day podcast available free from iTunes. I especially enjoyed the one about "pants."

By: (bb|[^b]{2})

(bb|[^b]{2}) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 17:26:40 -0800

Here's a great forum that discusses the etymology of various words. The search feature is terrible, but I can usually find what I'm looking for by digging through the archives.