The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language

by Mark Forsyth

If there’s one thing that etymology proves conclusively, it’s that the world is a wretched place. We may dream of better things, but the word dream comes from the Anglo-Saxon for happiness. There’s a moral in that.

But history is a lot fairer than language. Language takes your name and applies it to whatever it likes. Sometimes, however, it is fair, as with the word quisling.

These people had sex (as people almost invariably do) and produced a family.