The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology

Research... research rewards the researcher. Defintions are important. Words are used to confuse. Words are used to cast spells. To combat spells one must educate word origins and correct meanings. Example the word nice: means stupid, foolish, ignorant...

I always wanted to own an etymological dictionary. This one fits the bill pretty well. It is especially good at indicating when a word entered the English vocabulary as well as the origins/roots of words. It is a great resource.

If you are the type of person who reads with a dictionary within reach, you will find this resource indispensable. There is nothing like it other than the OECD, and this is much more user friendly. I am glad to see it has been republished by a different publisher, as I have complained about the very disappointing abridged version of this work published by this publisher. Don't buy that. It is no smaller, just has many fewer and shorted entries.

some of the words that I looked for were not, and did not have a solid definition; example on some of the defined history of the words would use worlds like "may or may not, possibly, perhaps" etc... It's almost as if the writer of this book was guessing on some words. This book would be good for school but not for professional use.

Get these books before they cannot be found. Understand how to cast spells when you spell and protect yourself from the swords of words.

Pretty good shape for an old library book. Really overpriced though; even something that is used like this.