# Got a good etemology book? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 16, 2002, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-good-etemology-book/132565 "2002-10-16T20:47:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-good-etemology-book/132565/1 "2002-10-16T20:47:41Z")
Looking for recommendations for etomology books that you have or like. This would also include books that are about phrases and not just single words. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![typhoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ed8c4c/32.png) [@typhoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typhoon)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-good-etemology-book/132565/2 "2002-10-16T22:24:24Z")
My junior year of high school, I had to suffer through a goofy guide to vocabulary-building called “Word Power Made Easy.” Something of a self-help book. I guess it’s useful because it tells a word’s root and history, which can be interesting, but I personally got a hold on etymology just by looking up words and glancing at their origins. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-good-etemology-book/132565/3 "2002-10-16T23:08:12Z")
Visit Dave Wilton’s site over at [http://www.wordorigins.org/source.htm](http://www.wordorigins.org/source.htm) I’ve linked you to his list of **etymology** sources. For the best single dictionary on words, _Chambers Dictionary of Etymology_ is my favorite. It’s a $45. book, buy I rate it my best purchase of the last two years. For phrases there are more than a few sources, but I find that many of them have errors. Hendrickson is one. _The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms_ is another. ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2002, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-good-etemology-book/132565/4 "2002-10-17T01:07:24Z")
I use _Dictionary of Word Origins_ by John Ayto. I think it’s pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2002, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-good-etemology-book/132565/5 "2002-10-17T01:38:52Z")
Ayto is good. ---
**Author:** ![tisiphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tisiphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tisiphone)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2002, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-good-etemology-book/132565/6 "2002-10-17T08:15:07Z")
I like _Rawson’s Dictionary of Euphemisms and Other Doubletalk_. You’ll never look at a meeting the same way again… ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2002, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-good-etemology-book/132565/7 "2002-10-17T12:34:37Z")
If you can afford it: _The Oxford English Dictionary._ There is no better resource, but it’s expensive. It’s available online, and it’s possible that your local public library subscribes (mine does, so I can use it by typing in my library card number). Ask them. Other good resources: **Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable** – Very good for phrases. There’s an online version of one of the older editions at [http://www.bibliomania.com/](http://www.bibliomania.com/) **Partridge’s Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English** – great resource, the standard work on the subject. You can get a taste at [http://www.partridge-slang.com/](http://www.partridge-slang.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Sivalensis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Sivalensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sivalensis)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2002, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-good-etemology-book/132565/8 "2002-10-17T12:37:09Z")
Bryson’s \Mother Tongue\ or \Made in America\ are the histories of English/American English and have the origin of lots of words we take for granted. Plus it’s written in a very easy prose style, not just a list of words. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2002, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-good-etemology-book/132565/9 "2002-10-17T16:24:36Z")
I have owned a paperback copy of _Chambers’ Etymological Dictionary of the English Language_ for years. My fave (hardcopy) reference. It was like $5 way back, not the same thing as **tisiphone** ’s. (Chambers puts out a lot of stuff.)