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249 books
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223 voters
Etymology Books
Showing 1-50 of 515
The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language (Hardcover)
by (shelved 46 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.23 — 12,595 ratings — published 2011
The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way (Paperback)
by (shelved 23 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.91 — 44,500 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 — 122,391 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 — 2,559 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 — 16,106 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 4.01 — 236 ratings — published 1990
Word Perfect: Etymological Entertainment For Every Day of the Year (Hardcover)
by (shelved 9 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.28 — 1,615 ratings — published 2021
The Story of English in 100 Words (Hardcover)
by (shelved 9 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.92 — 2,571 ratings — published 2011
Word Origins ... and How We Know Them: Etymology for Everyone (Hardcover)
by (shelved 7 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.49 — 205 ratings — published 2005
Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold History of English (Paperback)
by (shelved 7 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.83 — 7,220 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 4.16 — 3,195 ratings — published 2025
Babel (Hardcover)
by (shelved 6 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.14 — 494,570 ratings — published 2022
Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language (Hardcover)
by (shelved 6 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.04 — 12,621 ratings — published 2019
Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World (Paperback)
by (shelved 6 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.07 — 3,111 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 — 7,431 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 — 547 ratings — published 2008
The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows (Hardcover)
by (shelved 5 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.45 — 6,314 ratings — published 2018
Word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends (Hardcover)
by (shelved 5 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.45 — 348 ratings — published 2004
The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English (Hardcover)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.24 — 1,118 ratings — published 2021
Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language (Hardcover)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.23 — 28,839 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 — 1,954 ratings — published 2016
Unfortunate English: The Gloomy Truth Behind the Words You Use (Hardcover)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.57 — 158 ratings — published 2006
The Story of English (Paperback)
by (shelved 4 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.09 — 2,405 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 3.65 — 359 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 3.55 — 216 ratings — published 2007
Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.73 — 4,575 ratings — published 2025
Red Herrings and White Elephants (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.71 — 651 ratings — published 2004
Words from Hell: Unearthing the Darkest Secrets of English Etymology (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.22 — 170 ratings — published 2023
Politics and the English Language (Kindle Edition)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.30 — 8,934 ratings — published 1946
Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter — Then, Now, and Forever (Kindle Edition)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 3.94 — 4,378 ratings — published 2021
The Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities: A Yearbook of Forgotten Words (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.13 — 172 ratings — published 2017
The Story of Human Language (Audio CD)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.40 — 3,141 ratings — published 2004
Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.18 — 9,313 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 3.66 — 90 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 4.05 — 134 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 — 745 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 — 619 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 — 4,087 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
Useless Etymology: Offbeat Word Origins for Curious Minds (Hardcover)
by (shelved 2 times as etymology)
avg rating 4.25 — 257 ratings — published 2025
“The English word “free,” for instance, is derived from a German root meaning “friend,” since to be free meant to be able to make friends, to keep promises, to live within a community of equals.”
― Debt: The First 5,000 Years
― Debt: The First 5,000 Years
“Etymology” is from the Greek and means the study (logia) of the “literal meaning of a word according to its origin” (etymon).... It can be a huge help in spelling. For instance, people sometimes misspell “iridescent.”... Rather than just try to memorize the spelling, if you look at the etymology—study the entrails of the word—you find that “iris, irid” is a combining form that comes from the Greek Iris, the goddess of the rainbow and the messenger of the gods.... [O]nce you know that “iridescent” comes from Iris, you’ll never spell it wrong.”
― Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen
― Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen
