Cassell Dictionary Of Word Histories

More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 690
Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Published: 25 Nov 1999
ISBN 10: 0304350079
ISBN 13: 9780304350070
Book Overview: Languages grow and develop in many different ways. Words can follow a direct route from an ancient source, lake from French lac from Latin lacus, or borrow forms partly or wholly along the way, or follow any number of twisting paths. The word tawdry comes from tawdry lace, a type of necklace, and is a contration of St Audrey, a saint with a marked fondness for necklaces in her youth, who later blamed them for causing her fatal throat cancer. The whole process is a rich mixture of borowings and influences, mutations and assimilations. The Cassell Dictionary of Word Histories shows a path through this labyrinth of connections. It is arranged in a clear and easy-to-use format. Drawing on the most authoritative sources, it gives the first date of each word's appearance in written English and details the developments from the first traceable form to the current one. It also explains shifts of meaning over the centuries, and gives copious examples of related and parallel forms and formations. With over 20,000 entries, the Cassell Dictionary of Word Histories is an authoritative yet accessible study of a complex and fascinating aspect of the English language.