num_pages: 624
description: Compiled by Fred McDonald this new book traces the origins and explains the meanings of approximately 15000 words. Words with similar ancestry or semantic development are cross-referenced or subsumed into one entry making comparisons easier for the reader. There is also a short introduction explaining the book's purpose and layout and giving a very short account of the English language and the languages that have contributed to it.
language: English
title: The Penguin Book of Word Histories
publisher: Penguin Books