The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology
By Unknown Author.
Description
Did you know:--that the word nice meant foolish or stupid in the thirteenth century?--that deer once referred to any animal?--that cumberbund, pundit and bungalow, all relics of the Indian raj, have been in use in English since the 1600's?--that such words as sandwich, boycott and malapropism take their names from people, both real and fictional?--that sombrero, which comes to us from Spanish, originally meant an Oriental umbrella? These are but a few of the thousands of fascinating tidbits to be found in The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Etymology. Here the reader will find a clear and...
ISBN(s)
019861182X, 9780198611820