Robert K. Barnhart

As all lovers of language know, words are the source of our very understanding of ourselves and the world around us. Often, however, our use of language is so automatic that we neglect to consider where those words came from and what they assume. What are the implications, beyond the simple dictionary definitions, of using words such as privilege, hysteria, seminal, and gyp? Browsing through the pages of The Barhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology is like exploring the historical, political, and rhetorical wonderland of our linguistic heritage. We see the evolution of ideas, as rootword connections that now seem arbitrary are traced to schools of thought from the past. We also find an opportunity to examine how the sometimes backwards, sometimes hilarious, and sometimes illuminating ideologies built into our language affect our modern thinking. Written in a fresh, accessible style, this book provides the derivations of over 21,000 English-language words without resorting to the use of abbreviations, symbols, or technical terminology. Drawing on the most current American scholarship, and focusing on the core words in contemporary English, The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology is both a diverting browse and a thinking person's Bible.

Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology

Clarence Lewis Barnhart

Provides information about the meaning, spelling, and pronunciation of commonly used words in the English language.

The World Book Dictionary: L-Z

Leonard Bloomfield

Let's Read

The World Book Dictionary

This book is a unique scholarly achievement-authoritative original scholarship designed to be a useful reference source for the general reader as well as for an important etymological resource for the expert. With over 3,000 entries, the Dictionary covers over 25,000 root, or basic, English words, detailing the derivation of each in clearly written passages that interweave thousands of linguistic and historical facts to explain where words originate, how their forms have changed in English, and how their meanings have developed over time.

The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology

Sol Steinmetz

The Second Barnhart Dictionary of New English

Robert Barnhart

Defines new words, describes new meanings of old words, and offers information on euphemisms, proper names, coinages, technical terms, and trademarks

Robert K. Barnhart

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