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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... meant the heart, liver, and lights of an animal, which the huntsman plucked out and tossed to the dogs, or the farmer plucked for food. About 1850, sports writers, seeking variety of terminology—the viscera being considered the seat of ...
... meant the heart, liver, and lights of an animal, which the huntsman plucked out and tossed to the dogs, or the farmer plucked for food. About 1850, sports writers, seeking variety of terminology—the viscera being considered the seat of ...
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... meant any tree fruit. Hence there remains question as to the exact nature of the apple Eve ate in the Garden of Eden, a bit of which stuck in the throat of her man, still a sign of the first sin, the Adam's apple —actually, the ...
... meant any tree fruit. Hence there remains question as to the exact nature of the apple Eve ate in the Garden of Eden, a bit of which stuck in the throat of her man, still a sign of the first sin, the Adam's apple —actually, the ...
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... meant to leap upon; see sel IV.) - esce is the inceptive form; adolescent: on the way to being adult. abolish (ab: from). L pro-al, prole. proles, prolific, proliferate. proletariat: first, grown for menial or military use (see seni) ...
... meant to leap upon; see sel IV.) - esce is the inceptive form; adolescent: on the way to being adult. abolish (ab: from). L pro-al, prole. proles, prolific, proliferate. proletariat: first, grown for menial or military use (see seni) ...
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... meant to rouse, also to give birth. OED defines tickle-tail as a wanton woman, “now dialectal.” And pussy, perhaps also imitative, is still a slang term for the vagina, as cat-house is vulgar for a brothel. The same entanglement occurs ...
... meant to rouse, also to give birth. OED defines tickle-tail as a wanton woman, “now dialectal.” And pussy, perhaps also imitative, is still a slang term for the vagina, as cat-house is vulgar for a brothel. The same entanglement occurs ...
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... meant opposite the beginning, as in a polarity; positive vs. negative; black vs. white; blessed vs. damned; top vs. bottom of the pole. ancestor is short for antecestre, which also appears in English, but rarely. antecedent. The Greek ...
... meant opposite the beginning, as in a polarity; positive vs. negative; black vs. white; blessed vs. damned; top vs. bottom of the pole. ancestor is short for antecestre, which also appears in English, but rarely. antecedent. The Greek ...
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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