Ernest Weekley (1865–1954)

The book opens with a flourish, but that gradually fades until the wonder is gone. In the beginning, there were many things to like about this book and many intrigues and promises of what to look forward to. However, the follow-through was less than extraordinary-- it was lackluster and placid. This book has not endured the test of time and it offers relatively little to the readers of this age. It was disappointing, but the book was not a complete and utter loss in itself. Nonetheless, I do show more not recommend it for the faint of heart and only for those who have a pivotal interest in the subject matter. show less

fascinating read for those interested in etymology, 20 Jan. 2011

This review is from: The Romance of Words
Book you can dip into at any time and come up with fascinating nuggets of info. Mr Weekley writes in a very accessible way; his text is thick with etymological facts throughout. Did you know that the French dauphin got that title (=dolphin)from the 1349 absorption into monarchy of lordship of Dauphine, the cognisance of which was 3 dolphins? Or that a briar pipe is not made of briar but show more the root of heather (French 'bruyere')? show less

Obviously written by a professor, but if you can get around the first chapter then you'll be ok.
Raises some interesting points that will still be relevant in England's future.
A few good points are hidden within to annoy any English Language school teacher.

This is an "unaltered" republication of Ernest Weekley's 1921 work, now published in two volumes.
Professor Weekley taught French and was head of the modern languages department at University College, Nottingham. He referred to his students as "gentlemen", although this was evidently with sarcasm. [iv] The Preface, written in 1920, remains one of the best descriptions of the difficulties (and rewards) of rooting through the "dim regions" of word-forms [vi]. Express note and leave-taking is show more made of the fact that much of the scholarly tracing is speculation, even "fraud" [xii]. For example, the origins of "Bachelor" are speculative. show less