Dictionary of Word Origins
£4.99
Available in Stock
Both scholarly and entertaining, this dictionary defines almost 300 commonly used words - from accolade to zoo - traces their origins and places them in their historical contexts. It also illustrates the usage of every word with at least one quotation, mostly drawn from modern literature and journalism; and throughout the book there are discussions of more general topics such as the common names of plants, acronyms and the distaff side.