Origin Uncertain

Reviews / Votes

This book will appeal to logophiles and even true-crime fans, because it feels like a detective story. * Books of the Year 2024, The Economist * We take words like house, home, bed, and cake for granted, but their origins are uncertain - who knew? Anatoly Liberman, the Oxford Etymologist knew, and while Origin Uncertain settles some etymological questions, it's best at telling the stories of what we don't and sometimes can't know about words. Much gibberish or rubbish has been written about English etymology - both words are discussed in Origin Uncertain - but Liberman speaks the truth from a lifetime of indefatigable research, and he delivers it to interested readers in just the right dose, short essays written with fascination and humor and facts galore. Read an essay a day, and when you finish, you'll look for the next installment. So many words, so many uncertainties - we'll never tire of Liberman's wordlore. * Michael Adams, Indiana University * The great etymologists, and Professor Lieberman undoubtedly stands among them, are language's Sherlock Holmeses. And his readers, whether professional lexicographers or 'logo-fascinated' amateurs, are happy to play a grateful Dr Watson, taking from his vast knowledge an expertise that is both scholarly and accessible, and above all wonderfully informative. * Jonathan Green, author of Green's Dictionary of Slang * A playful foray into the elusive origins of words... Logophiles will be delighted. * Publishers Weekly *