Where words come from : a dictionary of word origins
Did you know that 'aardvark' comes from the South African for 'earth pig'? Or that 'assassin' actually comes from the Arabic for 'smoker of hashish'? This book explains why 'bungalow' comes from Hindi and what exactly 'hello' is short for. It is also a guide to the fascinating origins of everyday words.
Dictionaries
x, 210 p. ill., maps 20 cm.
9781847062741, 1847062741
1103768836
Introduction; List of Abbreviations; Family Tree of the European Languages; Maps; A-Z list of words; Bibliography; Index.