The Origins of English Words: A Discursive Dictionary of Indo-European RootsJHU Press, 2001 M07 1 - 672 pages There are no direct records of the original Indo-European speech. By comparing the vocabularies of its various descendants, however, it is possible to reconstruct the basic Indo-European roots with considerable confidence. In The Origins of English Words, Shipley catalogues these proposed roots and follows the often devious, always fascinating, process by which some of their offshoots have grown. Anecdotal, eclectic, and always enthusiastic, The Origins of English Words is a diverting expedition beyond linguistics into literature, history, folklore, anthropology, philosophy, and science. |
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... Ancient Greek polis, city, gives us Constantinople, the metropolis (mother city) and the politics in which we are, willy-nilly, involved; in Sanskrit, city is pur, whence Singapore. The map of India is dotted with names ending in puram ...
... Ancient Greek polis, city, gives us Constantinople, the metropolis (mother city) and the politics in which we are, willy-nilly, involved; in Sanskrit, city is pur, whence Singapore. The map of India is dotted with names ending in puram ...
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... ancient times, the operation was performed only on an already dead woman, to try to save her unborn child.) Mastectomy is the removal of a breast; orchidectomy, of a testicle (orchis, orchidem; the flower named from the shape of the ...
... ancient times, the operation was performed only on an already dead woman, to try to save her unborn child.) Mastectomy is the removal of a breast; orchidectomy, of a testicle (orchis, orchidem; the flower named from the shape of the ...
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... ancient Greeks presented three plays (a trilogy) on a tragic theme, followed by a burlesque satyr play. A satyr is a goatlike demigod; hence goat song; also, a goat (to be sacrificed) was a prize in the early sung-and-danced dramas. Pan ...
... ancient Greeks presented three plays (a trilogy) on a tragic theme, followed by a burlesque satyr play. A satyr is a goatlike demigod; hence goat song; also, a goat (to be sacrificed) was a prize in the early sung-and-danced dramas. Pan ...
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... ancient days borne over a potentate, to mark his high authority and protect him from the rays of the sun. Its use in northern lands came much later, against the rain (see ombhr). For Fr parapluie, see per V. Gay, in Trivia (1712) ...
... ancient days borne over a potentate, to mark his high authority and protect him from the rays of the sun. Its use in northern lands came much later, against the rain (see ombhr). For Fr parapluie, see per V. Gay, in Trivia (1712) ...
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... Ancient to Ancients: Sophocles, Plato, Socrates, Gentlemen, Pythagoras, Thucydides, Herodotus and Homer—yea, Clement, Augustin, Origen, Burnt brightlier toward their setting day, Gentlemen. L prefix ant: against, is even more frequent ...
... Ancient to Ancients: Sophocles, Plato, Socrates, Gentlemen, Pythagoras, Thucydides, Herodotus and Homer—yea, Clement, Augustin, Origen, Burnt brightlier toward their setting day, Gentlemen. L prefix ant: against, is even more frequent ...
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The Origins of English Words: A Discursive Dictionary of Indo-European Roots Joseph Twadell Shipley No preview available - 2001 |
Common terms and phrases
ancient animal applied associated beauty became bird body called coined color columns comes common compounds Dictionary earlier early earth element ending England English especially figuratively folkchanged four French frequent genus gives Greek hand head hence hold horse human imitative Italy John King known land language later Latin leaves letters light lists literally live Lord mark meaning meant mind nature never Note one’s originally perhaps person pictured plant play Possibly prefix probably referred Roman root says sense Shakespeare shape short shortened song sound speaks stand star suggested term things translation tree turn usually whence woman words beginning wrote young