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The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language

This book offers an extensive journey through the etymology of English words, tracing their roots and uncovering their hidden connections across various languages and cultures. more

Author

Mark Forsyth
Mark Forsyth

Mark Forsyth, born in 1977, is a renowned British writer whose works span across various fields, including language, humor, and literary criticism. He is known for his unique sense of humor and profound insights into language. more

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“The problem with the alphabet is that it bears no relation to anything at all, and when words are arranged alphabetically they are uselessly separated. In the OED, for example, aardvarks are 19 volumes away from the zoo, yachts are 18 volumes from the beach, and wine is 17 volumes from the nearest corkscrew.”

ProblemExampleBearsRelationWineBeachVolumeAlphabetZoosYacht
Book:The Horologicon: A Day's Jaunt Through the Lost Words of the English Language
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“If you are to use Alexander Graham Bell’s product, which is to say the blower, you should, in all courtesy, use it as he would have wished; and Dr Bell insisted that all phone calls should begin with the words ‘Ahoy, ahoy’. Nobody knows why he insisted this – he had no connection to the navy – but insist he did and started every phone call that way. Nobody else did, and it was at the suggestion of his great rival Edison that people took to saying ‘Hello’. This seems unfair.”

PeopleIfsKnowsWayShouldUseSeemsProductsConnectionsPhonesBellsUnfairDrsSuggestionsHelloNavyRivalsCourtesyNobody KnowsPhone CallsSaying HelloGraham Bell
Book:Mark Forysth's Gemel Edition: The Etymologicon and The Horologicon ebook bundle
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“But Shakespeare never drank coffee. Nor did Julius Caesar, or Socrates. Alexander the Great conquered half the world without even a café latte to perk him up. The pyramids were designed and constructed without a whiff of a sniff of caffeine. Coffee was introduced to Europe only in 1615. The achievements of antiquity are quite enough to cow the modern human, but when you realize that they did it all without caffeine it becomes almost unbearable.”

WorldHumansEnoughRealizingHalfModernAchievementEuropeCoffeeCowsUnbearableDrankPyramidsAntiquityCaffeinePerksJuliusLattes
Book:The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language
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