Akron Public Library

Selects one hundred words for anyone who wishes to become a more compelling communicator, including a variety of words, phrases, and expressions, along with clear definitions, etymologies, quotations, and usage examples.

"The creation of the Oxford English Dictionary began in 1857, took seventy years to complete, drew from tens of thousands of brilliant minds, and organized the sprawling language into 414,825 precise definitions. But hidden within the rituals of its creation is a fascinating and mysterious story - a story of two remarkable men whose strange twenty-year relationship lies at the core of this historic undertaking." "Professor James Murray, an astonishingly...

Explains the development of 214 root pictographs, the classic key characters that are the base for all Chinese writing characters

"How more than 400 colorful and familiar expressions originated and developed"--Cover subtitle.

Alphabetically arranged entries trace the origins of hundreds of unusual words and expressions

"Four-in-one volume of Dictionary of word and phrase origins" which includes vols. 1-3 previously published 1962-1972.

Explores the Greek myths to discover the roots of words and their meanings.