The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language Paperback – October 2, 2012

I’m always looking for new words and their origins and connections. This instantly became one of my favorite books. Written so creatively with one topic or word segueing into the next. Mind blown when I reached the end and I immediately turned to the first page again to start all over. I carry this book in my bag almost everywhere now to share fascinating snippets will fellow lovers of words. (page markers are good to keep on hand) At any given time there’s an opportunity to reference this book with our day to day language. You will not be disappointed!!!!!

Forsyth’s sense of humor and brilliance of the etymological development of languages is unparalleled. I have not read the book entirely yet but it’s a laugh out loud read while he brilliantly explains how, why and where the development of terminology in the English language occurred inmeticulous detail. I’m looking forward to his quizzes in the back of the book!

Though it is written in the style of biblical dictionaries/lexicons, understanding is enhanced for up-and-coming wordsmiths. I suppose it is best understood as the ongoing effort to increase the distance from the german language as what people want to call english is yet one of the 'dialects of german', but it remains a 'dialect of english' which arrived in the UK with the Anglo-Saxons (those whom 'proper english people are wont to call barbarians- go figure). Etymology is something many refuse to allow in their learning curve. So-called 'english' is a huge thief when it comes to words and is still the only form of communication within a grouping of people seeking to build a vault of words and meanings. There is a book called the 'Dictionary of English Words' (tongue in cheek) which purports to have two hundred seventy-five entries between the front and back covers with break down as follows >12% actual english words, 50% Greek and Latin words, the other 32% is a mixture of pilfered from other languages. What is called ?english? is a conglomerate of stolen communication. The Etymologicon will awake your curiosity.

Very interesting. Love to read and learn where all the words come from…

I love Mark Forsyth books. He is an incredibly fun nonfiction, writer, as well as being charming, amusing, and fascinating.

Its meandering style and constant barrage of factoids make this book excellent for reading aloud—especially since listeners can leave and return and miss parts without feeling lost. Its style also make it easy to put down and pick up again, no matter how much or how little reading time you have to spare in a given session. Though you might find yourself engrossed and unable to put it down!That said, there is so much to learn that I was tempted to stop after every page, so that I could digest and synthesize all the new, very accessible information and show off my new knowledge to friends—and random strangers, and neighbors on grocery lines. I have to assume the author, who seems to be of the same inclination, would approve,

If you like words and word origins, this is the book for you! Mark Forsyth has a clever way with words and a British sense of humor that keep this book from becoming just another dry reference book. I was fascinated to learn that the words "black" and "white" have the same root word (the Old German "blakke") which became "black" in English and "blanc" in French, which is the root of our word for "blank". The confusion started when the Old Germans couldn't decide whether burning wood turned black (like charcoal) or white (like ashes) so after a while they got bored with it and went to sack Rome. That is the sort of explanation you find in this book. There are some rather saucy words in there, too. He keeps it clean, but it is not for the ultra-prudish. That being said, I enjoyed this book so much that I couldn't put it down. I recommend it highly!

I love etymology and find it very useful to help me understand language as a whole- so I was pretty psyched for a book like this! I had hoped it would just reveal something interesting about common words and phrases, but no... it truly is as the title says: circular. I'm not sure about the "stroll" part. Maybe if you think a stroll is getting dragged lightly by a lame horse. Maybe it's just the author's writing style, but I found it to be annoying and smug. I ended up throwing this in the donation pile because it was just that unreadable.