The Origins of English Words: A Discursive Dictionary of Indo-European RootsThere are no direct records of the original Indo-European speech. By comparing the vocabularies of its various descendants, however, it is possible to reconstruct the basic Indo-European roots with considerable confidence. In The Origins of English Words, Shipley catalogues these proposed roots and follows the often devious, always fascinating, process by which some of their offshoots have grown. Anecdotal, eclectic, and always enthusiastic, The Origins of English Words is a diverting expedition beyond linguistics into literature, history, folklore, anthropology, philosophy, and science. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 95
Page xii
... root word . But by their roots ye shall know them . Sir William Jones ( 1745-1794 ) , while a judge in Calcutta , declared : " No phi- lologer can examine the Sanskrit , Greek , and Latin , without believing them to have sprung from ...
... root word . But by their roots ye shall know them . Sir William Jones ( 1745-1794 ) , while a judge in Calcutta , declared : " No phi- lologer can examine the Sanskrit , Greek , and Latin , without believing them to have sprung from ...
Page xiii
... root gen , to know . Then there is to con , to swindle : they conned him out of his sweepstakes winnings . This is a shortening of confidence game , in which the confidence man , con man , seeks to win your trust so as to cheat you ...
... root gen , to know . Then there is to con , to swindle : they conned him out of his sweepstakes winnings . This is a shortening of confidence game , in which the confidence man , con man , seeks to win your trust so as to cheat you ...
Page xiv
... roots . Gas , said its creator , Jan Baptist van Helmont , in 1640 , was formed by analogy with the word chaos . Gelett ... root anth , meaning man , is also found in the name Alexander , meaning protector of men . Philander should mean ...
... roots . Gas , said its creator , Jan Baptist van Helmont , in 1640 , was formed by analogy with the word chaos . Gelett ... root anth , meaning man , is also found in the name Alexander , meaning protector of men . Philander should mean ...
Page xv
... root , andr , anther , referring to the bloom of the plant world . The form anther has come unchanged into English , meaning the organ of a flower that secretes its pollen . Anth or anthem occurs at the beginning , middle , or end of ...
... root , andr , anther , referring to the bloom of the plant world . The form anther has come unchanged into English , meaning the organ of a flower that secretes its pollen . Anth or anthem occurs at the beginning , middle , or end of ...
Page xvi
... root . This volume lists the most productive of these roots , and notes the various and frequently diverse English words into which they have been fashioned . It is the compiler's hope that such a listing and description will il ...
... root . This volume lists the most productive of these roots , and notes the various and frequently diverse English words into which they have been fashioned . It is the compiler's hope that such a listing and description will il ...
Other editions - View all
The Origins of English Words: A Discursive Dictionary of Indo-European Roots Joseph Twadell Shipley No preview available - 2001 |
Common terms and phrases
ambhi bhag bhel bher bhes bheu bhili bhreg called caput coined columns compounds deik dekm dheigh N dheigh N 13 dhel dheu eghs element ending English folk etymology folkchanged French genus gerbh ghdhem gher goddess Greek guei guel hence ieug imitative jing kapr kel VIII King kleu ksei ksun kuei kuetuer labh Latin leguh leuk literally Love's Labor's Lost meaning medhi morui nebh nekut neuos oino onomen pilo plek pleu prefix relevant words beginning Roman root sek II seku Shakespeare skeu slang smer sner song sound spek sphei ster steu suer suffix tag II tereq teue tragh uegh ueid ueik ueks uelu uer II uerg uiro W. S. Gilbert whence
References to this book
Shamanism: The Neural Ecology of Consciousness and Healing Michael Winkelman No preview available - 2000 |
The Mystery to a Solution: Poe, Borges, and the Analytic Detective Story John T. Irwin Limited preview - 1994 |