With over 30,000 entries, Chambers Dictionary of Etymology is a prestigious and scholarly dictionary that explains where English words come from. An important etymological resource for the expert, it is also a useful reference source for the general reader.
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'The best of scholarship ... the most user-friendly of etymological dictionaries'
About the Author
Chambers is one of the world's most respected dictionary publishers, appealing particularly to word lovers and those who revel in all the quirks of the English language. Its extensive list of innovative language and reference titles includes the renowned Brewer's list of endlessly browsable dictionaries of phrase and fable, and covers English-language dictionaries and thesauruses for every level of user from school to crossword fan, from English learner to student of slang. Meticulously researched and expertly written, the highly acclaimed Chambers range has been at the forefront of presenting knowledge and learning in an engaging and accessible way since it was first established in the 19th century.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
277 of 279 people found the following review helpful
By D. Brodsky
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is the first review I have written, but I felt it necessary to correct a false statement in another review, particuarly since 28 of 32 people found the review (which gave the book only 1 star) helpful. Specifically,
QUOTE A lot of the words don't go back to the real origin. "Street' for example is said to be derived from the Latin "Strata" or "paved road", when the Latin actually comes from the Semitic, "Serat" for "straight road".UNQUOTE
Semitic "Serat" (also Arabic "Sirat") comes from Latin (via Greek as an intermediary) not the other way around as asserted by the reviewer. There is simply no doubt about this. As pointed out in the Chambers Dictionary, "Strata" is the past participle of the Latin verb STERNERE ("to lay down", "to spread out") which shares a common INDO-EUROPEAN origin with the Germanic root which is the basis of English STREW. I have not seen ANY etymological dictionary that has a different explanation, and I have consulted authoritative ones in English, French, Spanish, Italian and German. In English, this origin is confirmed by, among others, (i) the Oxford English Dictionary, (ii) the American Heritage Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.
A second comment of the same reviewer was
QUOTE The dictionary also lists many languages that use a specific word without telling us about the source of the word, which is what etymology is about.UNQUOTE
In fact, my impression is that the Chambers Dictionary gives far more information than other comparable etymological dictionaries in terms of the ultimate roots of words. Taking a word at random, for "make", Old English macian is traced back through Old Saxon makon to Proto-Germanic *makojanan from the Indo-European root *mag-. It is also shown to be cognate with Old High German mahhon, Old Frisian makia, Greek magenai ("to be kneaded, be molded") and mageus ("baker"), Old Slavic mazati ("anoint"), among others.
The Chambers Dictionary is one of the best I have seen, particularly in view of its not unreasonable price.
72 of 73 people found the following review helpful
By T. Holmewood
Format:Hardcover
This is an excellent etymology dictionary. If I could sum it up with a single signifier, it would be CLEAR!
I compared this with the OED in-store and found that the clarity of entries - definition, history - in the Chambers by far exceeded that of its competitor - especially its minimal use of abbreviations (of which the OED was laden). Not only does the perspicuity of its entries place it above the OED, the Chambers' clear typeset, complimented by its leaf quality, elevated it even further over that of its ugly other, whose use of some obscenely obscure Romanesque font really didn't flatter its crude sheets of recycled Financial Times.
I would strongly advise this for those who are untrained in linguistics and/or philology. The OED retails at twice the price of Chambers, and from my perspective is 'clearly' inferior. This reference book will - for a long time to come - have its place by my bedside.
OED = Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology
I compared this with the OED in-store and found that the clarity of entries - definition, history - in the Chambers by far exceeded that of its competitor - especially its minimal use of abbreviations (of which the OED was laden). Not only does the perspicuity of its entries place it above the OED, the Chambers' clear typeset, complimented by its leaf quality, elevated it even further over that of its ugly other, whose use of some obscenely obscure Romanesque font really didn't flatter its crude sheets of recycled Financial Times.
I would strongly advise this for those who are untrained in linguistics and/or philology. The OED retails at twice the price of Chambers, and from my perspective is 'clearly' inferior. This reference book will - for a long time to come - have its place by my bedside.
OED = Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology
77 of 81 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is an impecably researched book and makes fascinating reading. It explains how the words we use today originated and when.
My only criticism of the book is that it has adopted American spellings of words in certain cases, e.g. smolder, rather than smoulder.
But it is competatively priced against the other etymology dictionaries. So, you pays your money and you takes your choice.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well received
Bought as Xmas present for my daughter as she is very interested in the origin of words and their use. She is very pleased and I know it will be well thumbed.
Published 4 months ago by ginger 141
4.0 out of 5 stars
Words,What are they ?
Words..What are they ? Sounds formed from the mouth to give understanding.
What are they though ?From whence do they come ? Read more
What are they though ?From whence do they come ? Read more
Published 18 months ago by B
5.0 out of 5 stars
the joy of words
Great value, and fascinating to delve into e.g. without it I'd never have known that the words adder, apron, umpire and nickname all share an unusual linguistic feature!
Published on 12 May 2011 by wordsmith
4.0 out of 5 stars
Chambers Dictionary of Etymological
It's quite good... though I prefer my old 1964 edition, because of extras in the back section. e.g. Greek mythology, and Roman numeracy etc. Read more
Published on 12 Mar 2011 by ursaf
5.0 out of 5 stars
chambers dictrionary of etymology
A comprehensive work which recognises the close connection of english to Friesian and dutch, something that is sadly missing in many other works of this kind.
Published on 8 July 2010 by Stewart Conway
5.0 out of 5 stars
chambers etymology
I chose this book on etymology above the oxford edition purely on other reviews and am not sorry I did so. It is an excellent tome, a perfect partner for my chambers dictionary.
Published on 11 April 2010 by Mrs. Lynaire Mcglinchey
5.0 out of 5 stars
If only I had the Greek...
Etymology can be a source of endless fascination; at 66 I'm still making discoveries. This volume, despite its American bias (it's really the Barnhart Dic'y of Et'y), is the the... Read more
Published on 12 Jan 2010 by Simon G. Barrett
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good for beginners, unsatisfactory for deep research
I give four stars to this dictionary only for the sake of the two years I had been devoutly reading it and copying out the most fascinatingly unexpected etymologies of words when a... Read more
Published on 22 Aug 2009 by Annie Martirosyan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Pastime !
This book is equally useful (and endlessly fascinating) to the serious researcher as to someone simply interested in words, where they originate from, and particularly to those who... Read more
Published on 27 Feb 2009 by Evi
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fascinating dictionary
This is a dictionary you will not want to put away and is extremely user-friendly.
Published on 11 Dec 2001
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