This dictionary gives the intriguing origins of hundreds of everyday words and expressions. Useful for reference and fun just for browsing, Dictionary of Word O

The average contemporary English speaker knows 50,000 words. Yet stripped down to its origins, this apparently huge vocabulary is in reality much smaller, deriv

Written in a funny, charming, and conversational style, Word Origins is the first book to offer a thorough investigation of the history and the science of etymo

Contains alphabetically arranged entries that explore the origin, evolution, and social history of over three thousand English language words.

Life stories of words, how, when and where they originated, and how their meaning changed and developed through the centuries.