Semantic Antics
How and Why Words Change Meaning
Steinmetz, Sol
Hardcover
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BOOK SYNOPSIS
A fun, new approach to examining etymology!
Many common English words started out with an entirely different meaning than the one we know today. For example:
The word adamant came into English around 855 C.E. as a synonym for 'diamond,' very different from today's meaning of the word: "utterly unyielding in attitude or opinion."
Before the year 1200, the word silly meant "blessed," and was derived from Old English saelig, meaning "happy." This word went through several incarnations before adopting today's meaning: "stupid or foolish."
In Semantic Antics, lexicographer Sol Steinmetz takes readers on an in-depth, fascinating journey to learn how hundreds of words have evolved from their first meaning to the meanings used today.
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MORE BOOK INFO
ISBN: 0375426124
ISBN(13-digit): 9780375426124
Dewey Decimal: 422
Library of Congress: 2007031265
Book Publisher: Random House Inc
Language: ENG
No. of Pages: 271
Paper Weight (lb): .715 lb
