 Trade In this Item for up to £0.25
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins (Oxford Paperback Reference) for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
Product Description
Review
A fascinating book for anyone interested in the English language. (Writing Magazine )
This book is as engrossing...as it is enlightening...erudite and delightful work. (Christopher Hirst, The Independent )
I enjoyed picking up this chattily written dictionary. (Dot Wordsworth, Spectator )
It is an ideal stocking filler...a delightful cornucopia of derivations. (Crawford Gillian, East Anglian Daily Times )
This book is as engrossing...as it is enlightening...erudite and delightful work. (Christopher Hirst, The Independent )
I enjoyed picking up this chattily written dictionary. (Dot Wordsworth, Spectator )
It is an ideal stocking filler...a delightful cornucopia of derivations. (Crawford Gillian, East Anglian Daily Times )
Product Description
Combining both accessibility and authority, the Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins describes the origins and development of over 3,000 words and phrases in the English language. The book draws on Oxford's unrivalled dictionary research programme and language monitoring, and relates the fascinating stories behind many of our most curious terms and expressions in order to offer the reader a much more explicit account than can be found in a general English dictionary. Organized A-Z, the entries include first known use along with examples that illustrate the many faces of the particular word or phrase, from 'handsome' to 'bachelor' and 'cute' to 'baby', from 'pagan' to 'palaver' and 'toff' to 'torpedo'. Also featured are almost 20 special panels that cover expressions common in English but drawn from other languages, such as 'coffee', 'sugar', and 'candy' from Arabic or 'booze', 'brandy', and 'gin' (Dutch). This absorbing volume is useful for language students and enthusiasts, but also an intriguing read for any person interested in the development of the English language and of language development in general. Includes an extended introduction on the history of the English language.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I'm not the type to sit around reading the dictionary, but this is irresistable, from just randomly dipping into or the "why do we use that phrase and where does it come from" type inquiry. Often checking one word will take you into others and before you know it, you are sitting around reading the dictionary...
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If you enjoy words and appreciate the richness of the English language, then this is a great reference book to keep at hand either to look up the derivation of some specific word or phrase or simply to dip into and browse. My wife and I use it frequently to find out the origins of words, terms, items or sayings we use or come across in the newspaper or books, and it generally has everything, with a brief but clear explanation of origin and how it came to have the current meaning. We use it and enjoy it more than we had imagined we would when we bought it and recommend it pretty much without reservation (other than wishing it was even larger and even more detailed!). It's certainly worth the price.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Very disappointed with this.Could have written it myself - didn't learn much at all about the etymology of words.
I guess it's a case of buy cheap get cheap.
I guess it's a case of buy cheap get cheap.
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
