Description

This is an invaluable guide to the fascinating origins of everyday words crafted into pithy annecdotes and facts. Did you know that ‘aardvark’ comes from the South African for ‘earth pig’? Or that ‘assassin’ actually comes from the Arabic for ‘smoker of hashish’? This book explains why ‘bungalow’ comes from Hindi and what exactly ‘hello’ is short for.It is an invaluable guide to the fascinating origins of everyday words. There are literally tens of thousands of English words with entertaining and engaging stories behind them. Tackling the topic in an anecdotal and yet thorough manner, Fred Sedgwick’s pithy, interesting, upbeat and approachable “Where Words Come From” is the etymological dictionary for everyone, a book to inspire wonder, debate and laughter.

Publisher Review

"Fred Sedgewick has a way with words... Present the average schoolboy with a new dictionary and chances are his first thought will involve looking up rude words. Old headmaster Fred Sedgewick's new book on word origins is a temptation too far for me. And I'm not disappointed: he hasn't chickened out" Steven Russell, East Anglian Daily Times "In a 'dip into' guide to the origins of the everyday speech we learn the stories behind thousands of words. Tackling the topic in an anedoctal yet thorough manner, Sedgwick's upbeat work is the etymological dictionary for everyone" AK, Manchester Evening News, 27 June 2009 "This is an enlightening and accessible guide to some of the many thousands of intriguing anecdotes that form the most colourful part of the history of the English Language - the story of where , over centuries of migration, trade and conquest , our words actually come from. Where else could you learn that the word 'aardvark' comes from the Afrikaans for 'earth pig' , or unravel the origins of that most mysterious greeting 'hello'? In a fascinating blend of scholarship and informative entertainment, Fred Sedgwick explores our linguistic heritage with delightfully humorous and intriguing results, in this marvellous treasure trove of etymological curiosity" GoodBook Guide, 1 July 2009 "Sedgwick's book is a fascinating A-Z of where words come from...This would be useful to anyone who is interested in words, where they come from and how to use them." Irish News, September 2009 "Mr. Sedgwick's book is friendly, accessible, informative and chatty...It's a fun book." Writing Magazine, October 2009