Oxford School Dictionary of Word Origins

The subtitle of this book is ‘The Curious twists & turns of the Cool and Weird words we use’, which accurately indicates its pitch and purpose. The aim is to make the linguistic science of etymology accessible and enjoyable for children at school by means of a lively and informal popular dictionary. The result is somewhat uneven, but the book is so stuffed with fascinating information that it really is a ‘must-buy’ for all secondary and (perhaps) primary schools. It is marketed for children of nine and over. The trouble is that by its very nature etymology is difficult, and cannot manage without reference to numerous languages and at least a nucleus of technical terms, so popularisation has its limits. But this is much too good a try to be ignored.

There is a middle section of about 50 pages on numerous ‘topics’, ranging from ‘acronyms’ and ‘onomatopoeia’ to ‘first names’, ‘space’, and ‘dinosaurs’. This is much the best section for young children, and contains plenty of appealing information. (Did you know that the Greek origin of ‘planet’ means ‘wanderer’ and of ‘comet’ means ‘longhaired star’? Did you know that ‘penthouse’ has nothing to do with houses but derives from an Anglo-Norman word meaning ‘lean-to-shack’?) The bulk of the book, in conventional dictionary format, is more varied, ranging from concise etymological entries that no one is ever likely to use, to longer, chatty and delightful mini-essays well calculated to spark interest in language. As a general rule, the longer the entry, the better it is. So this is a volume well worth having, but it needs to be used proactively and selectively in short bursts by teachers, not left to lie unopened on a reference shelf.