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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... element”: earth, water, air, fire). Cardinal is a good example of how meanings multiply. It has no Indo-European root, for the object it names did not exist in those roving days. When the Romans built houses, and devised swinging doors ...
... element”: earth, water, air, fire). Cardinal is a good example of how meanings multiply. It has no Indo-European root, for the object it names did not exist in those roving days. When the Romans built houses, and devised swinging doors ...
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... elements and emphases, different roots. The number of sounds, and letters to represent them, being limited, we may expect repetition, so that a single root form may have more than one meaning. Few have more than two separate senses; but ...
... elements and emphases, different roots. The number of sounds, and letters to represent them, being limited, we may expect repetition, so that a single root form may have more than one meaning. Few have more than two separate senses; but ...
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... element in this word, from L aequus: equal, also gives us equality, equation, equable. The partly imitative ansiare gave English anhelation; inhale, exhale, exhalation, etc. asthma. halitus. halitosis came into common use from its ...
... element in this word, from L aequus: equal, also gives us equality, equation, equable. The partly imitative ansiare gave English anhelation; inhale, exhale, exhalation, etc. asthma. halitus. halitosis came into common use from its ...
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... element silver is Ag; see el 47. argentiferous. argentine. Argentina. ari: ruler. Aryan, self-given name. It was claimed by the Nazis, whose name is short for Nationalsozialist, the party (founded in 1912, before World War I) that came ...
... element silver is Ag; see el 47. argentiferous. argentine. Argentina. ari: ruler. Aryan, self-given name. It was claimed by the Nazis, whose name is short for Nationalsozialist, the party (founded in 1912, before World War I) that came ...
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... element uranium; see el 92. Gk hudra: water snake. hydra: many headed monster of the Lerna marshes in the Peloponnesus; for every head cut off, two at once appeared; Hercules killed it with a heated sword, thus cauterizing the neck as ...
... element uranium; see el 92. Gk hudra: water snake. hydra: many headed monster of the Lerna marshes in the Peloponnesus; for every head cut off, two at once appeared; Hercules killed it with a heated sword, thus cauterizing the neck as ...
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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