A Concise Etymological Dictionary of the English LanguageThis 1901 volume of A Concise Etymological Dictionary of the English Language completely updates the classic reference work first published in 1882. Skeat provides a staggering number of words, including those most frequently used in everyday speech and those most prominent in literature. They appear along with their definitions, their language of origin, their roots, and their derivatives. Those who are fascinated with the English language will find much to explore here and many overlooked but interesting tidbits and treasures of an ever-evolving language. Walter W. Skeat was a scholar of Old English, mathematics, English place names, and Anglo-Saxon. He founded the English Dialect Society in 1873 and was a professor at Cambridge University. Skeat edited many classic works, including Lancelot of the Laik, Piers Plowman, The Bruce, Lives of Saints, and a seven-volume edition of Chaucer. |
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Common terms and phrases
2nd grade allied to A. S. allied to Gk allied to Icel answers Arab base belonging bird borrowed Bret Brugm called cent cloth cognate Coined confused corruption Cotgrave decl derived dial Dict Diez dimin double dimin Doublet F.-Ital F.-Late F.-Teut facere Florio formed with suffix Formerly frequent Fries Gael Godefroy Goth grade of Teut hence Hexham Hind horse Icel imitative origin Irish Ital Ital.-L kind Körting Late Late L Lith Lithuan Littré Low G Lowl Lübben Malay means Merc neut Norw orig Origin unknown Perhaps allied Pers plant Port præ prefix Prob pron prov root Russ Scand sense ship short sing Span spelling spelt stem of pres strong verb suffix suffix ous Swed Teut tree unknown origin variant weak grade whence F word
Popular passages
Page 29 - From Arab, hashishin, drinkers of hashish, the name of a Sect in the I3th century; the 'Old Man of the Mountain' roused his followers' spirits by help of this drink, and sent them to stab his enemies, esp. the leading crusaders.
Page 38 - ... a mode of dyeing, in which the cloth is tied in different places to prevent the parts tied from receiving the dye; slander, plot, plan; a kind of silk cloth ; a kind of parrot.