Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology: An Accessible Linguistics Reference Book on the Origins of 21,000 English Words
Product ID: 8290010
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"[A] combination of readability with scholarship. . . of exceptional quality." —American Library Association (Reference Books Bulletin) 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 Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology is like exploring the historical, political, and rhetorical wonderland of our linguistic heritage. We see the evolution of ideas, as root word 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, The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology 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, this fascinating book is both a diverting browse and a thinking person's Bible. Review: Learning words - Great book love its size Review: Good book, lots of information. - This book covers wide range of root words and language areas. It is very informative.
| Best Sellers Rank | #12,052 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #5 in Etymology (Books) #12 in Linguistics Reference #15 in Dictionaries (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 440 Reviews |
N**E
Learning words
Great book love its size
A**R
Good book, lots of information.
This book covers wide range of root words and language areas. It is very informative.
J**N
I love it!
What surprised me was the choice of paper used in printing this book and the quality of that paper! It’s been a very pleasant experience using this book. And, initially I wasn’t welcoming of the “lengthy” details into etymology of different senses of the same word, but as I kept using this book for derivation lookup, I eventually became very thankful of the details provided. Love it, love it, love it!!
M**.
Useful if not comprehensive
Well made and substantial, as fits a reference book. "Concise" is correct, but there's still a lot if information. It's not a "dictionary, " having little info on pronunciation and fairly sparse on definitions and forms. What it concentrates on is derivations. These are short, but useful. Very little slang or vulgarity. Nobody will mistake this for the Oxford English Dictionary, but as a desktop reference, it's handy and helpful.
A**R
GREAT BOOK
ALWAYS WANTED THIS BOOK, GREAT PRICE, RECEIVED IN 5 DAYS IN JAMAICA
M**T
Words have power.
I rely on this book especially when working on legal documents. This was an excellent investment and addition to my home library.
A**R
This the book to get. Amazing
This book is amazing. I have seen several of these books and thought about this one, so I took the plunge and purchased it. And i am so glad I did it gives excellent reference points to dates, original language and some other identifiers. Great Book!
D**R
It's a REAL book... Hardcover....
Great Book, glad I purchased it.
P**Y
Excellent
Excellent for reference.
A**R
Five Stars
An excellent and engrossing reference for word nerds.
J**W
Lots of words missing
There's lots that's good about this book, but it's missing some important words, i.e. almost all the swear words, and words that have been used as racial slurs or pejorative terms for groups of people. Whoever made the decision about which words to include took a high-brow view of language and failed to include a lot of important word history. I wish I'd taken more time to consider that this edition was last updated in 1995. Language & attitudes can change a lot over the course of 25 years.
P**Y
the paper and the binding are very poor quality. The paper is one step above newspaper
While the content of this book is what I was looking for, the paper and the binding are very poor quality. The paper is one step above newspaper. I paid fifty dollars for this book and expected a Collins Reference book to be made to last. Disappointed.
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