Kurt R.A. Giambastiani

Back in the late ’70s, James Burke introduced me to interdisciplinary thinking. His book and documentary series, Connections, showed how (for example) the use of lateen sails in the 14th century led to the discovery of electricity. The process was far from linear, but Burke made the connections along the way clear and irrefutable.

Mark Forsyth, in his book, The Etymologicon, has done much the same thing with words. Subtitled “A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language,” Forsyth’s book is a light, wry look at how words mutate, divide, and twist themselves on their way into the English language. The Etymologicon is thoroughly enjoyable, and one you can pick up and put down at any point. The chapters are brief and witty; each one is satisfying by itself, but Forsyth connects each one to the next in line, enticing you follow his etymological threads through history. Most chapters follow a word or two along their tortuous journeys, linking such disparate items as bison and film buffs, champagne and going AWOL, Piers Plowman and Venezuelan parrots, while other chapters explore the various contributions of a specific person or place, such as John Milton or Venice, Italy.

This is not a reference work, nor is it a dry, scholarly text. This is a twisting, gyring romp through the back alleys of the English language, and it is filled with fascinating, sometimes unbelievable connections and surprising characters who contributed to our daily speech.

Forsyth is a British blogger who writes The Inky Fool, a blog on All Things Wordy. His other books, The Horologicon and The Elements of Eloquence, wend braided trails through forgotten words and rules of grammar in similar fashion.