Arcade Dictionary of Word Origins Author:John Ayto An alphabetical listing of some 8000 English words with their histories, this book omits other dictionary features such as pronunciation, part of speech, and, in most cases, definitions. It is interesting to explore the sometimes surprising groups of related words; under doctor , for example, we are referred to 11 other entries, ranging from dai... more »nty to paradox . The date of a word's first appearance in the language is indicated by century or by "OE" for Old English. Interesting reading for the linguistics or English student or anyone with a curiosity about where words came from and how they came to mean what they mean.« less