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C.T. Onions
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The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology

by C.T. Onions (Editor), G. W. S. Friedrichsen (Assistant), R. W. Burchfield (Assistant)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 359 ratings
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This comprehensive dictionary by one of our century's greatest language scholars provides a clear and brief account of the origins, history, and sense-development of more than 38,000 words.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0198611129
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0198611127
  3. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  4. Publication date
    December 31, 1966
  5. Language
    English
  6. Dimensions
    9.62 x 6.52 x 2.33 inches
  7. Print length
    1040 pages
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Dr. C.T. Onions first joined the staff of the Oxford English Dictionary in 1895. He worked on the OED, the Shorter OED, and then published his Shakespeare Glossary in 1911. A wonderful and learned scholar, he died in 1966 as the first edition of The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology was going to press. Assisted by G.W.S. Friedrichsen and R.W. Burchfield, Onions created a magnificent work of erudition, with 24,000 main entries. Including their derivatives, the dictionary delves into the origins of more than 38,000 words.

For each entry, the dictionary provides the correct pronunciation, followed by a short definition, and the century and source of the word's first recording. Then come the etymological notes. Thus one learns that "froth" (an aggregation of small bubbles on liquid) was first noted in the 14th century, in Sir Gawain and the Bible, that it comes from the Old Norse frooa, and was taken from there into German (fraup) and Old English (froth). Now in its fifth printing and a standard reference for scholars, Onions's opus is still the most comprehensive etymological dictionary of English ever to be published. --Stephanie Gold

Book Description

This comprehensive dictionary by one of our century's greatest language scholars provides a clear and brief account of the origins, history, and sense-development of more than 38,000 words.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press (December 31, 1966)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 1040 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0198611129
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0198611127
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 13 - 17 years
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.81 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.62 x 6.52 x 2.33 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 359 ratings

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C.T. Onions

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
359 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Mazzli
5.0 out of 5 stars Better than expected
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2024
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Very happy with this purchase.
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Ronald Miller
5.0 out of 5 stars Nice book
Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2023
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Product as expected. Packaged well.
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D.k
5.0 out of 5 stars Very reliable source for English etymology.
Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2019
Verified Purchase
The book does its job perfectly. The dictionary is compilation of English words listed in order by alphabet and their given origin and cognates (cognates are words that developed from the same root of a Proto-language). The book also does a very good job at using a huge amount of references and academic material so the book is quite decent on explaining many Proto-Indo-European roots and cognates as well.
27 people found this helpful
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Bruce Boatner
5.0 out of 5 stars Actually a bargain for an epic.
Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2019
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This is the Holy Grail of Etymological dictionaries. I remember drooling over it years ago in the bookstore, but not being able to justify the $75 price tag at the time. Now the actual retail is $90, so $60 is a "bargain", such as it is.
25 people found this helpful
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danielnewhouse
4.0 out of 5 stars not bad
Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2018
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The Smathers dictionary put out by George Mason University was the best ever. This is the best dictionary available on Amazon.
20 people found this helpful
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Marg
5.0 out of 5 stars Pretty wordy. Lol
Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2021
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As expected.
5 people found this helpful
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K
5.0 out of 5 stars great to just browse through...
Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 1999
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...or read, or skip from thought to thought with.
The defintions are extremely concise and the etymology section for each word is often also brief. Longer entries occur when a story or individual or specific event is behind the word. Nice and readable printing and a nice, small, thick size. As far as I can tell, this book has not been updated since publication in the sixties; okay by me because words coined since then can be researched using the net.
47 people found this helpful
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Dr Jim
5.0 out of 5 stars Very useful for word nerds like me.
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2017
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Very useful for word nerds like me. This book goes way beyond what is available gratis on the Internet. Although, etymology.com is more portable. This is the book for more in-depth dives into the origins of our mother tongue.
23 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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BMM
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 27, 2023
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Entertaining and useful in equal measure. I use it daily.
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ClienteAmazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Un'opera di grande valore
Reviewed in Italy on May 21, 2020
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Dizionario molto ricco di voci e contenuti davvero esaustivi. Sono soddisfattissimo.
Pagato circa €65.
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池田喜明
5.0 out of 5 stars 早く届いた事
Reviewed in Japan on December 8, 2023
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子供が大変喜んでいた
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in India on May 19, 2018
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Nice product as I expctd..:-)
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Printed in UK! excellent product
Reviewed in Australia on September 3, 2022
Verified Purchase
The origin of words is important as they keep changing. Get this to find out. This is the original and the best I am told by someone who used this as bedside reading from childhood and I am beginning to appreciate it. Word nice means foolish and stupid...Are you nice?
One person found this helpful
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