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256 books
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224 voters
Etymology Books
Showing 1-50 of 516
The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language (Hardcover)
by (shelved 47 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.23 — 12,739 ratings — published 2011
The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way (Paperback)
by (shelved 23 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.91 — 44,681 ratings — published 1990
The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary (Paperback)
by (shelved 20 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.84 — 123,060 ratings — published 1998
The Horologicon: A Day's Jaunt Through the Lost Words of the English Language (Kindle Edition)
by (shelved 11 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.95 — 2,567 ratings — published 2012
Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States (Paperback)
by (shelved 11 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.92 — 16,200 ratings — published 1994
Dictionary of Word Origins: Histories of More Than 8,000 English-Language Words (Paperback)
by (shelved 10 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.02 — 237 ratings — published 1990
Word Perfect: Etymological Entertainment For Every Day of the Year (Hardcover)
by (shelved 9 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.28 — 1,625 ratings — published 2021
The Story of English in 100 Words (Hardcover)
by (shelved 9 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.92 — 2,577 ratings — published 2011
Word Origins ... and How We Know Them: Etymology for Everyone (Hardcover)
by (shelved 7 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.50 — 204 ratings — published 2005
Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold History of English (Paperback)
by (shelved 7 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.83 — 7,239 ratings — published 2008
Alphabet Juice: The Energies, Gists, and Spirits of Letters, Words, and Combinations Thereof; Their Roots, Bones, Innards, Piths, Pips, and Secret Parts, Tinctures, Tonics, and Essences; With Examples of Their Usage Foul and Savory (Hardcover)
by (shelved 7 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.62 — 881 ratings — published 2008
Proto: How One Ancient Language Went Global (Hardcover)
by (shelved 6 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.14 — 3,570 ratings — published 2025
Babel (Hardcover)
by (shelved 6 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.13 — 509,002 ratings — published 2022
Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language (Hardcover)
by (shelved 6 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.04 — 12,695 ratings — published 2019
Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World (Paperback)
by (shelved 6 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.06 — 3,120 ratings — published 2005
The Elements of Eloquence: How to Turn the Perfect English Phrase (Hardcover)
by (shelved 6 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.35 — 7,485 ratings — published 2013
Chambers Dictionary of Etymology (Hardcover)
by (shelved 6 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.50 — 111 ratings — published 1988
The Secret Life of Words: How English Became English (Hardcover)
by (shelved 6 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.70 — 549 ratings — published 2008
The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows (Hardcover)
by (shelved 5 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.44 — 6,426 ratings — published 2018
Word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends (Hardcover)
by (shelved 5 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.45 — 348 ratings — published 2004
Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language (Hardcover)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.72 — 4,909 ratings — published 2025
The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English (Hardcover)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.24 — 1,140 ratings — published 2021
Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language (Hardcover)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.22 — 29,326 ratings — published 2019
Port Out, Starboard Home (Hardcover)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.31 — 169 ratings — published 2000
Words on the Move: Why English Won't—and Can't—Sit Still (Like, Literally)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.14 — 1,966 ratings — published 2016
Unfortunate English: The Gloomy Truth Behind the Words You Use (Hardcover)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.56 — 159 ratings — published 2006
The Story of English (Paperback)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.09 — 2,406 ratings — published 1986
I Love it When You Talk Retro: Hoochie Coochie, Double Whammy, Drop a Dime, and the Forgotten Origins of American Speech (Hardcover)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.47 — 285 ratings — published 2009
In Other Words : A Language Lover's Guide to the Most Intriguing Words Around the World (Hardcover)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.64 — 360 ratings — published 2004
The Dord, the Diglot, and an Avocado or Two: The Hidden Lives and Strange Origins of Common and Not-So-Common Words (Paperback)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.56 — 217 ratings — published 2007
Red Herrings and White Elephants (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.71 — 657 ratings — published 2004
Words from Hell: Unearthing the Darkest Secrets of English Etymology (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.19 — 181 ratings — published 2023
Politics and the English Language (Kindle Edition)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.30 — 9,058 ratings — published 1946
Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter — Then, Now, and Forever (Kindle Edition)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.93 — 4,415 ratings — published 2021
The Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities: A Yearbook of Forgotten Words (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.14 — 173 ratings — published 2017
The Story of Human Language (Audio CD)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.40 — 3,160 ratings — published 2004
Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.18 — 9,411 ratings — published 2017
Dictionary of Latin and Greek Origins: A Comprehensive Guide to the Classical Origins of English Words (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.65 — 40 ratings — published 1997
Devious Derivations: Popular Misconceptions and More than 1000 True Origins of Common Words and Phrases (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.21 — 28 ratings — published 1993
The Unexpected Evolution of Language: Discover the Surprising Etymology of Everyday Words (Paperback)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.67 — 91 ratings — published 2012
The Painted Word: A Treasure Chest of Remarkable Words and Their Origins (Paperback)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.49 — 177 ratings — published 2012
The Concise Dictionary of English Etymology (Paperback)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.40 — 42 ratings — published 1882
English Words from Latin and Greek Elements (Paperback)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.06 — 136 ratings — published 1965
Expletive Deleted: A Good Look at Bad Language (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.67 — 331 ratings — published 2004
Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology: Scholarly and Accessible ― Over 21,000 Word Origins Without Abbreviations or Jargon (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.48 — 90 ratings — published 1995
The Meaning of Tingo and Other Extraordinary Words from around the World (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.48 — 746 ratings — published 1999
Origins of the Specious: Myths and Misconceptions of the English Language (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.81 — 622 ratings — published 2009
The Unfolding of Language: An Evolutionary Tour of Mankind's Greatest Invention (Paperback)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.22 — 4,117 ratings — published 2005
Spellbound: The Surprising Origins and Astonishing Secrets of English Spelling (Paperback)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.73 — 172 ratings — published 2006
The Wordspotter's Guide: Etymological Adventures Through the English Language (Kindle Edition)
by (shelved 2 times as etymology)
avg rating 5.00 — 1 rating — published
“Do you know where 'policeman' comes from, sir? ... 'Polis' used to mean 'city', said Carrot. That's what policeman means: 'a man for the city'. Not many people knew that. The word 'polite' comes from 'polis', too. It used to mean the proper behaviour from someone living in a city.”
― Men at Arms
― Men at Arms
“Few now would associate de-roofing with the police, but the verb 'to detect' originated in detegere—a detective raises the roof, figuratively.”
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