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books:

The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology

8 reviews

Oxford University Press, USA, 1966

Oxford is the best - by a whisker.
Other reviewers claim that the Chambers Dictionary of Etymology is a better book than the Oxford Dictionary of Etymology. I must disagree. I was recently in a bookstore that had both in stock, and I was able to compare the two. Overall, I found the Chambers to be less informative than the Oxford book. Admittedly, I did not have the time to compare a lot of entries, but the few words I did look ...

THE OXFORD DICTIONARY OF ENGLISH ETYMOLOGY. Reprinted with corrections in 1967.

1 review

Oxford University Press, 1967

The history of your language is the foundation of your thought
It's pretty widely agreed these days that language is the basis of thought. We think in words and our thoughts are shaped by the categories that our words propose. The history of those words-what they meant and where they came from-becomes the secret background of our own thinking. So Etymology is a bit like reading the code behind our own mental processes. Learning that 'eager' comes from ...

A Shakespeare Glossary

8 reviews
C. T. Onions

Oxford University Press, USA, 1986

Good resource that leaves nothing wanting!
If you are a reader, actor or spectator of Shakespeare you must have this book. It is an indispensable guide to the speech and hidden meanings of Shakespeare's words. I especially stress the hidden meanings aspect of the glossary--- a feature you may not find in a footnoted version of the play. This glossary also allows for a fast reference to finding a word in any Shakespeare play. A word will ...