With over 17,000 entries, this is the most authoritative and comprehensive dictionary of etymology available in paperback. This dictionary distinguishes three principal kinds of process in the evolution of words:

The normal development of a word within a given language, according to the regular processes of change in that language. The adoption of a word from one language into some other language The formation of a word on some existing word or element by means of a derivational device, or by compounding

Based on The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, the principal authority on the origin and development of English words, the Concise contains a wealth of information about the English language and its history.

• Where did the words bungalow and assassin derive?
• What did nice mean in the Middle Ages?
• How were adder, anger, and umpire originally spelt?
• And did you know that bunkum is taken from Buncombe, North Carolina, whose representative in Congress declared he was bound to 'make a speech for Buncombe'?

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