OXFORD CONCISE DICTIONARY OF ENGLISH ETYMOLOGY - PAPERBACK

Where did the words bungalow and assassin derive? What did nice mean in the
Middle Ages? How were adder, anger, and umpire originally spelled? The answers
can be found in this essential companion to any popular dictionary.
With over 17,000 entries, this is the most authoritative and comprehensive
guide to word origins available in paperback. Based on The Oxford Dictionary
of English Etymology, the principal authority on the origin and development of
English words, it contains a wealth of information about our language and its
history. For example, readers will learn that bungalow originally meant
"belonging to Bengal," that assassin comes from the Arabic for "Hashish-
eater," and that nice meant "foolish or stupid" in the thirteenth century,
"coy or shy" in the fifteenth. And adder, anger, and umpire were originally
spelled with an initial "n." These are but a few of the fascinating tidbits
found in this dictionary, which is a must for anyone interested in the
richness of the English language.Where did the words bungalow and assassin
derive? What did nice mean in the Middle Ages? How were adder, anger, and
umpire originally spelled? The answers can be found in this essential
companion to any popular dictionary.
With over 17,000 entries, this is the most authoritative and comprehensive
guide to word origins available in paperback. Based on The Oxford Dictionary
of English Etymology, the principal authority on the origin and development of
English words, it contains a wealth of information about our language and its
history. For example, readers will learn that bungalow originally meant
"belonging to Bengal," that assassin comes from the Arabic for "Hashish-
eater," and that nice meant "foolish or stupid" in the thirteenth century,
"coy or shy" in the fifteenth. And adder, anger, and umpire were originally
spelled with an initial "n." These are but a few of the fascinating tidbits
found in this dictionary, which is a must for anyone interested in the
richness of the