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Title: Word Origins : An Exploration and History of Words and Language by Wilfred Funk ISBN: 0-517-26574-5 Publisher: Random House Value Pub Pub. Date: 11 August, 1992 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $11.99

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Average Customer Rating: 5 (2 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: Every Word has a Story
Comment: A lot of hard work and passion went into this book, and it shows. Mr. Funk has written a classic book on word origins which is fun for any scrabble lover, scholar, or souled individual.

Arranged into topics from business to war to flowers, the author explains the most likely origins behind everyday words and expressions. "Laconic," for example, means brief and blunt. Its origins, more than 2600 years ago, take it back to the Greek Wars. The Laconians, when told by an ambassador that "if we come to your city we will raze the walls and kill everyone." The Laconians reply? "If."

Or take the origins of the word "bread." Originally it meant a piece. With time, it came to mean the whole loaf. By reading through "word origins" you will learn that many words were named after people or places. Other words are corruptions of other languages. Some words are simple "borrowed" from other languages. (called "loan words," but who gives them back?) Some other words have origins lost in time. I enjoyed reading "Word Origins" and go back to it, again and again, when I am curious about a word or phrase. If you have any interest in this area, you should enjoy this book. Well done, a good read.

Rating: 5
Summary: Among the best in its catagory
Comment: This book is among the best in its catagory. The author journeys through word stories, taking related groups of words, telling their stories in a way that makes each word come alive.

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