1. Wordorigins.org Home Page Etymological site offers a brief history of the English language, discussion boards and a search feature.Category Science Social Sciences Historical Linguistics......Wordorigins.org Home Page. Etymology is the study of word origins.It is not the study of insects; that is entomology. Where words http://www.wordorigins.org/

Wordorigins.org Home Page Etymology is the study of word origins. It is not the study of insects; that is entomology. Where words come from is a fascinating subject, full of folklore and historical lessons. Often, popular tales of a word's origin arise. Sometimes these are true; more often they are not. While it often seems disappointing when a neat little tale turns out to be untrue, almost invariably the true origin is just as interesting. A list of words and phrases can be found here, with links to the definitions and origins. Or, you can also jump to the discussion board to ask a question or put in your two cents. Be sure to check out our monthly newsletter, A Way with Words . The newsletter addresses etymology, slang, grammar and usage, and general topics regarding words and language. The newsletter is available by email only. For more information click here To fully appreciate etymology, one must have some knowledge of the history of the English language . This helps in understanding such topics as why English adopted the Anglo-Norman word for beef, yet retained the old Germanic word for cow, and why so many of our legal terms derive from Old French words (the answer to both is that the Norman aristocracy used those words in the years following the Norman Conquest, while mundane terms were used by the Anglo-Saxon commoners). Popular etymologies often make the same types of errors in attempting to determine the origin of a word. For example, almost all tales of acronymic word origins are wrong and just because two words are similar, does not mean that they derive from the same source (see: Crap/Craps). Click here for a description of some of these common errors.

2. Word Origins Understanding the meaning of various words as well as their derivations are featured here by The Writer's Place. The Write Stuff home. word origins. Rev. May 3, 2002 http://www.thewritersplace.com/writestuff/origins.htm

var TlxPgNm='origins'; The Write Stuff home Word Origins Rev. May 3, 2002 Directories The Writer's Place The Write Stuff The Write Workplace Useful or Fun Stuff Guest Book Introduction Reference Materials Finance Tools ... Funding Peccadillo (PEH-kuh-DIH-loh) (n.) a slight offense "Sean called himself a 'wild man,' but in truth his indiscretions were mere peccadilloes and he was more often a saint than a sinner." "The world loves a spice of wickedness." That observation by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow may explain why people are so willing to forgive peccadilloes as youthful foolishness or lapses of judgement. The willingness to overlook petty faults and minor offenses existed long before English speakers borrowed a modified version of the Spanish "pecadillo" in the late 1500s. Clearly, the Spanish distinguished the "pecadillo," or "little sin," from the more serious "pecado," the term for a sin of magnitude. But sins definitely predate the Spanish; their words for such transgressions can be traced all the way back to the Latin verb "peccare," meaning "to sin." Check out Merriam-Webster Online at http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/mwwod.pl

3. World Wide Words Explores some of the byways history, quirks, curiosities and evolution of the English language. Columns Category Arts Writers Resources Style Guides...... weekly Dutch newsletter on language (February 2003).; Michael Quinion's WorldWide Words is the web authority on English etymology (word origins) and usage http://www.quinion.com/words/

Jump to content SECTION INDEXES ARTICLES REVIEWS TOPICAL WORDS TURNS OF PHRASE ... WEIRD WORDS FINDING THINGS SITE INDEX (COMPLETE) SEARCH THE SITE SURPRISE ME! SUPPORT PAGES ABOUT THE AUTHOR CONTACT THE AUTHOR NEWSLETTER OTHER WORDS SITES ... PRONUNCIATION GUIDE This site is designed to work with the current generation of browsers. Some older ones might not be able to display every aspect of the design as it is intended to look, nor some of the special characters. If you want to download an updated browser, we recommend Mozilla , but some others are Internet Explorer and Opera Windows (of size 384Kb) or for the Apple Mac (348Kb). See your system help files for how to install the font. NEW PIECES ADDED THIS WEEK Q AND A SECTION What is the origin of the odd phrase Dog in the manger I look into the curious British expression I should cocoa! Why should crushed stone be called Road metal ? Why metal TURNS OF PHRASE SECTION Possibly a new environmental buzzphrase: Blue revolution WEIRD WORDS SECTION Brimborion is a rare word for something useless. PIECES RECENTLY ADDED ARTICLES SECTION Words of 2002 Plain English Campaign Awards 2002 Q AND A SECTION Chook Green-ink letter Lynch law Mollydooker ... Beyond the pale REVIEWS SECTION The Grouchy Grammarian Dog Days and Dandelions Coined by God Depraved and Insulting English ... A Word A Day TOPICAL WORDS SECTION Tiddlywinks Credible Moment Faze ... Braggadocious TURNS OF PHRASE SECTION Shock and Awe SARS Geosequestration Nutrigenomics ... Asian Brown Cloud WEIRD WORDS SECTION Metoposcopist Maritorious Lipogrammatist Spanghew ... Paralipsis NEXT UPDATE

4. Martha Barnette's Funwords.com Samples of the etymological books from wordlover Martha Barnette, author of Ladyfingers Nun's Tummies and A Garden of Words. http://www.funwords.com/

email Martha "No one writes more informatively and colorfully about the creatures who run and leap and swim and fly and crawl and caper through our everyday vocabulary." Richard Lederer, author of Anguished English Hey, do you know where your tragus is? What barnyard animal inspired our word bidet? If someone calls you scombroid , should you be flattered or insulted? You'll find the answers to these and other vexing questions in my new book, More . . . get a copy! The Latest . . . Yep, I've been titivating the site, and have added a new feature called War Words , about terms we're hearing a lot lately. ("Titivate?" More about this evocative word here. *(4/08/03) All about such war words as "blockbuster," "FIBUA," and interestingly, "catastrophic success," thanks to Andy Bowers in Slate.

5. Dave Wilton's Etymology PageThe Name Of The Wordorigins.org Home Page Has Change Etymologist writes on word origins from a British perspective. Read articles, user questions and answers and book reviews. Words is the web authority on English etymology (word origins) and usagecome here for definitive information on some http://www.wordorigins.org/home.htm

The name of the Wordorigins.org home page has changed. It is now http://www.wordorigins.org/index.htm If your browser supports automatic refresh, you will be transported there in five seconds. Otherwise, select the link manually to go to the new site. Please revise your bookmarks to reflect the change.

6. Word Origins Links word origins. A Word A Day Another service that emails a word and accompanying commentary to you. http://www.wordwithyou.com/links_1.htm

Links: Word Origins A Word A Day : Another service that e-mails a word and accompanying commentary to you. The largest and oldest such service. Cool word of the day: Etymology of First Names: Etymology Topics, Word Trails : Focusing on Words : Experience the wonder of words by focusing on the Latin and Greek elements. : The stories and images behind the names of the food we eat. Mr. Foster's Etymology site: Origins of Phrases: Quinion's Words : A witty look at language by Michael Quinion Random Word of the Day : From the desk of Jesse Sheidlower, a Senior editor at the reference Division of Random House. Roots of English: an etymological hypertext 'dictionary' of Greek and Latin word roots: Take Our Word for It: Weekly Etymology Magazine The music and magic of words: The Word Detective : Evan Morris' delightful online version of his popular column on word origins The Word Wizard : On-going discussion on words, competitions and gaming on language, and more: Word for Word : Comprehensive site for word and phrase origins. Under the aegis of Terry O'Connor, Australian Editor and language maven. Includes his column, forum, links and lots more: Words and Stuff: A weekly column on word origins and wordplay Word-of-the-Day : Delivered to your e-mail daily, a new word with its origins, accompanying anecdotes, and related information

7. Word Origins And Meanings Of Economic Terms A handy word origins list. Click on the word and you'll go right to a brief discussion of its origin.Category Reference Dictionaries Etymology...... your economics courses come from? Lose no more sleep! A handy wordorigins list is presented below. Each term is listed, so all http://cbpa.louisville.edu/econpage/meanings.html

The Origins of Various Economic-related Terms Have you ever found yourself wondering where all those different words in your economics courses come from? Lose no more sleep! A handy word origins list is presented below. Each term is listed, so all you have to do is click on the word and you'll go right to a brief discussion of its origin. Bonds Coin Finance Salary ... Trade Bonds . This term is taken from the early English word band , which means a fastening. The word bond implies that one is "bound" to repay an obligation. Borrow . The word borrow derives from the Old English word borg , which means "pledge". Budget . In the Middle Ages, French merchants carried their money in a bougette , or "little bag". The word borrows from the Latin word bulga , meaning "a leather bag". Within the bag, one's monetary resources were kept. Business Business originally applied to a person suspected of taking part in mischievous activity. Eventually, it related to any type of activity, and later still to a type of vocation. Capital . This word comes ultimately from the Latin word for "head". The words

8. Etymologically Speaking... A list of some curious word origins.Category Reference Dictionaries Etymology......What follows is list of some curious word origins. Some of these incongruitiesof life. (Wilfred Funk, word origins and their romantic stories). http://www.westegg.com/etymology/

What follows is list of some curious word origins. Some of these are English, but some are French and German words from which we get some English words. Enjoy, and please let me know if you know of any other cool etymologies that I ought to add to the list! Also, I run a mailing list called RT where I send out some new, interesting etymologies that I discover every month (and other, non-philological items as well). Click here for more information. For some of my favorites, see Companion Kopf Porcelain , and Tennis Abacus Comes from the Greek word abax, which means "sand tray." Originally, columns of pebbles were laid out on the sand for purposes of counting. See calculate and exchequer Allegory From Greek allos meaning "other" and agora meaning gathering place (especially the marketplace). In times past, it was common to do one's chatting at the marketplace. Some of the topics discussed were clandestine in nature and when people spoke about them, for fear of being punished, they would speak indirectly. That is to say, they would speak about one thing in such a way as to intimate the actual information to the listener. Thus, the persons discussing clandestine matters were said to be speaking of "other things" in the marketplace. Eventually the words joined and became associated with the act of speaking about one thing while meaning another. Apple Eng.

9. Take Our Word For It, The Weekly Word-origin Webzine Shop here for word origins An Exploration and History of Words and Language and find more books by Wilfred Funk. For a limited time, get free shipping on orders over $25! http://www.takeourword.com/

Buy books! Build your own harp! Recommended by Melanie and Mike: Waring Harps Issue 181 the bi-Weekly Word-origin Webzine April 8, 2003 Search Home FAQ Links ... About To donate, just click the button! See TIERE for more information. Spotlight Words on our minds this week. Words to the Wise Our world-famous question and answer column. Curmudgeons' Corner Gripes and grumbles from the usual pedants. Sez You . Wherein we graciously permit challenges to our profound erudition. NEW! Laughing Stock Funny stuff we occasionally stumble across. Mailing list Weekly previews of the Latest Edition , plus notification of other changes to the site. The Etymology Book Store Here find loads of books for sale on etymology and related topics. Interested in sponsoring this site, advertising here or making a donation to keep the site running? See our donors page.

10. Etymologic - The Brain-twisting Etymology (word Origin) Game! In this game you'll be presented with 10 randomly selected word origin or word definition puzzles Category Games Internet Browser Based Word Games......If you think you know a lot about word origins and etymology, it's the perfect timefor you to try ETYMOLOGIC, a tough and educational word game (don't worry http://www.etymologic.com/

In this game you'll be presented with 10 randomly selected word origin or word definition puzzles to solve; in each case the word or phrase is highlighted in bold, and a number of possible answers will be presented. You need to choose the correct answer to score a point for that question. Beware: the false answers will often also seem quite plausible, and some of the true answers are hard to believe, but we have documentation. You're person 225969 to play Etymologic! Ready? Here's your first question... What's the literal meaning of alert unable to sleep on the watchtower aware of one's surroundings Help underwrite Etymologic and our ever-growing reference library with a small donating via Paypal. Click here: If you can't donate, help spread the word instead! Thanks!!

11. Word Origins - Classic Literature - World Lit - Writing Advertisement. word origins Classic Literature Guide picks. Greek and LatinRoots Discern word meanings and origins by perusing this list of roots. http://classiclit.about.com/cs/wordorigins/

zfp=-1 About Homework Help Literature: Classic Search in this topic on About on the Web in Products Web Hosting Literature: Classic with Esther Lombardi Your Guide to one of hundreds of sites Home Articles Forums ... Help zmhp('style="color:#fff"') Subjects ESSENTIALS Book Reviews Directory How to Directory ... All articles on this topic Stay up-to-date! Subscribe to our newsletter. Advertising Free Credit Report Free Psychics Advertisement Word Origins - Classic Literature Guide picks Study the origin of words to grasp meaning, an essential task when studying classic literature. Alfabette Zoope Discover thousands of names and their etymologies accompanied by a selection of photography and graphic art. American Dialect Society "Founded more than a century ago, the American Dialect Society still is the only scholarly association dedicated to the study of the English language in North America - and of other languages, or dialects of other languages, influencing it or influenced by it." Behind the Name "Most Christian countries share a common set of names, although those names are often pronounced and spelled differently across the various languages. The majority of this common set of names derives from either Hebrew, Greek, Latin, or one of the early Germanic, Celtic or Slavic languages." Etymological Dictionary for English Dictionary lists English words with origins in the Basque language. With definitions and sample sentences for each.

12. Word Origins - Classic Literature - World Lit - Writing - Page 2 Of 2 word origins Classic Literature Guide picks. http://classiclit.about.com/cs/wordorigins/index_2.htm

zfp=-1 About Homework Help Literature: Classic Search in this topic on About on the Web in Products Web Hosting Literature: Classic with Esther Lombardi Your Guide to one of hundreds of sites Home Articles Forums ... Help zmhp('style="color:#fff"') Subjects ESSENTIALS Book Reviews Directory How to Directory ... All articles on this topic Stay up-to-date! Subscribe to our newsletter. Advertising Free Credit Report Free Psychics Advertisement Word Origins - Classic Literature Guide picks Previous Random House - Mavens' Word of the Day Each day, editors answer a reader question about the origin of a phrase or word. Browse the archives, or check out the etymology bibliography. Take Our Word for It - Weekly Word-Origin Webzine Study the origin of words to grasp root and affix meanings, making learning new vocabulary easier. Find links to dictionary and language sites. Word Focus "Examine the free links to words with images and explanations for a greater comprehension of English words that are derived from Latin, Greek, and other sources." World Wide Words Join 13,000 others and get our free weekly newsletters by e-mail.

13. Hugh Young's Lexicon Of Polari Includes glossary with alternative spellings, word origins, and pronunciation. http://www.homeusers.prestel.co.uk/cello/Polari.htm

Hugh Young's Lexicon of Polari As you see, some of it ( pronunciations , parts of speech - do they still call them that?) is incomplete, and some words lack derivations ( choad maung(ed) ?). For the filling of any gaps, or any suggested additions, I will be very grateful. I have given words and phrases the benefit of the doubt, including some that may be, for example, no-one but Kenneth Williams' idiolect. I would also be grateful for suggestions of, or offers from, generous foundations who would be prepared to finance a trip to England to study Polari first-hand. A Word Meaning Source Alternate Spellings Pronunci- ation Part of Speech Original Language Original Form Example Comment acqua water h acqua n It acqua Lingua Franca (LF) akwa h aqua ajax nearby a alamo! I'm hot for you/him! d excl acr. LMO = Lick Me Out arthur masturbate k vi rhyming slang J Arthur Rank = wank aspro male prostitute h aspro n LF aspro 'money' (or E 'arse' + 'pro[stitute]' ?) h aspra Aunt Nell ears a n pl Aunt Nell! Listen to me! a excl B Word Meaning Source Alternate Spellings Pronunci- ation Part of Speech Original Language Original Form Example Comment bagadga penis h bagadga n It bagaggio "baggage"

14. Spell1 Bimonthly publication, SPELL/Binder, contains articles on grammar, usage, word origins, and other subjects of interest to language lovers. http://www.mindspring.com/~spellorg/

Handy Links "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!" Nearly 2,000 members can't be wrong. Can they? More than $25,000 in scholarship funds to be awarded to high school seniors. Membership benefits: Subscription to Spell/ Binder Member's handbook Scholarship contest Set of Goof Cards Contributions to SPELL are deductible THE WRITE WAY The SPELL guide to real-life writing. What is SPELL? R emember the old movie in which the distraught newscaster opened his window and yelled to the world, "...I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!"? That's somewhat the way SPELL members feel when they see and hear our language being abused and misused by inept writers and speakers in the news media and elsewhere. As individuals, we can do little to prevent such abuses. As a group, we can do a lot. The Society for the Preservation of English Language and Literature (SPELL) is an organization of people who love our language and are determined to resist its abuse and misuse in the news media and elsewhere. We have almost 2,000 members in the United States and Canada. Members are from all professions and all walks of life doctors, lawyers, executives, engineers, teachers, writers, secretaries, students, retired people. The list could go on. SPELL members use our well- known Goof Cards to cite errors in grammar, usage, and syntax. The use of Goof Cards is not mean-spirited, sarcastic, or "school-marmish." Many who receive them write to thank SPELL for helping to uphold high standards.

15. Welcome To Characters Of Greek Mythology of the deities of Greek mythology, as well as fun stuff like the zodiac, word origins, mythical clipart, and artwork....... http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/5545/

Characters of Greek Mythology was established in June 1998 by Tonya James -Enter the myths!- Character Index Family Trees Paintings Index Mythical Clipart The Zodiac Roman Gods Creation The Titans The Olympians The Underworld Goddesses Gods Divine Sisters Nymphs Beguiling Beauties Mythical Creatures Heroes Lovers of Zeus Links and Credits Banner Links Tonya's Family Album Site Designed For 800 x 600 Resolution enable java-script for best viewing experience visitors since June 1998 If you like this site, don't forget to bookmark it! Intro and Navigation Tips Character Index Family Trees Roman Gods ... Sign Guestbook

16. Word Origin Portal for word lovers. Learn about word meanings, slang, quotations, insults, and famous authors .Category Arts Writers Resources Style Guides......word origin, word origins, word meanings, origin of phrase, origin, slang, quotations,insults. This page uses frames, but your browser doesn't support them. http://www.wordwizard.com/

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17. Community Wordwizard for lovers of the English language http://www.wordwizard.com/communityX1.htm

Wordwizard: for lovers of the English language Resources Community Fiction News

18. Phrase And Word Origins Phrase and word origins. (WD) What is the origin of the word loggerhead? (Phrase origins) http//www.worddetective.com/041400.html loggerhead. http://www.yaelf.com/questions.shtml

Phrase and word origins The suffix "stan" (Definitions) As a generally accepted explanation, the suffix "stan" is an ancient Persian and/or Farsi word meaning country, nation, land, or place of, so, the country name of Afghanistan would then mean "homeland" of the Afghans, or place of the Afghans. Afganistan Varied versions of Afghan are traced to the third century. Some historians feel the name derived from a 9th century Iranian emperor named Apakan. Kazakhstan Kazakh is a Turkic word meaning "someone independent and free." The name was later used by Russian people, eventually known as the Cossacks. Kyrgyzstan In the old Turkic language, kyrg means "40" and yz means "tribes," so the word itself means "40 tribes." The Kyrgyz originated in Mongolia. (extract from the "WorldAtlas.Com" site) http://www.worldatlas.com What is the origin of "go to hell in a handbasket"? "going to hell in a handbasket"? (Phrase origins) This phrase, meaning "to deteriorate rapidly", originated in the U.S. in the early 20th century. A handbasket is just a basket with a handle. Something carried in a handbasket goes wherever it's going without much resistance. James L. Rader of Merriam-Webster Editorial Dept. writes: "The Dictionary of American Regional English [...] records 'to go to heaven in a handbasket' much earlier than [...] 'hell,' which is not attested before the 1950s. The earliest cite in our files is from 1949 [...]. 'In a handbasket' seems to imply ease and and speed [...]. Perhaps part of the success of these phrases must simply be ascribed to the force of alliteration. DARE has a much earlier citation for another alliterative collocation with 'handbasket' (1714), from Samuel Sewall's diary: 'A committee brought in something about Piscataqua. Govr said he would give his head in a Handbasket as soon as he would pass it.' I suspect that 'to go to hell in a handbasket' has been around much longer than our records would seem to indicate."

19. Welcome To Mindless Crap - Because Trivia Is Nothing But Useless Knowledge. Facts, word origins, actual quotes and links. http://www.mindlesscrap.com

All words Any word Exact phrase The dictionary defines trivia as being useless knowledge, or as I like to call it... MINDLESS CRAP Spewing crap onto the information superhighway for over three years. Jarrett Shawn Weintraub is here! He arrived at 6:28 p.m. on January 18, 2003. Click here for the pictures. Site Updates for April 1 - 30, 2003 April 1st - The site's been updated...and I actually did it on time! I'm looking for someone who's willing to place a banner on the site (for cheap...I only want to recover my costs). Only one person will have a banner, and it will appear on every page of Mindless Crap. If you're interested, e-mail me and I'll give you the details (cost, site traffic, banner specs, etc.). As always, if you have any new ideas or want to send me something add to the site, e-mail me at spot@mindlesscrap.com

20. Harry Potter Word Origins - Redirect Wizard Words has moved. Most browsers will automatically take you to the new locationin ten seconds. If that doesn't work, please click here. Why the change? http://www.mindspring.com/~gwil/wizwords.html

Wizard Words has moved Most browsers will automatically take you to the new location in ten seconds. If that doesn't work, please click here Why the change? I've almost reached the traffic limit set by my ISP for the old site, so my son Reed offered to host the Wizard Words page on his site.

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