Book Review: Useless Etymology by Jess Zafarris

Genre(s): Non-fiction

Book Synopsis:

Did you know that an “astronaut” is literally a “star sailor,” that a thesaurus is, in fact, a “treasure
trove” of words, and that someone who is “sinister” is actually just “left-handed”?

Have you ever wondered why English isn’t considered a Romance language if 60% of our
words are Latin-derived?

Did Shakespeare really invent 1,700 words, and if not, why the heck do we say that he did?

Why is the English language stuffed with so many synonyms?

Let’s be real: English can seem pretty bonkers. And, well, sometimes it is. But through thorough thought and a pinch of curiosity, method can be found within the madness of our modern tongue-even within the disparate pronunciation of the words “through,” “thorough,” and “thought.”

Derived from Germanic, Romance, Hellenic, Semitic, African and Native American languages, English contains multitudes. It has been (and continues to be) transformed by war and conquest, art and literature, science and technology, love and hate, wit and whim.

Useless Etymology takes readers on a time-traveling adventure to unlock the beauty, wonder, and absurdity within our everyday words, how they came to be, and the unexpected ways their origins weave a global, cross-cultural labyrinth of meaning.

Review:

I’ve always found word origins and the weird bits of history surrounding them to be fascinating. But the more I learn about the English language and all of its quirks and inconsistencies, the more I’m confounded and amazed that our brains learn how to navigate it at all.

My personal take on English aside, Useless Etymology dives into some of the language’s most common words, how they originated, changed over time, and includes some really fun snippets of history and trivia to go along with it. From words describing animals and color to those pertaining to writing itself to those regarding puzzles, there’s something for every word enthusiast in this book. What I love most is how it’s all presented: In an easily-accessible format laced to humor. And despite the book’s title, I didn’t find it “useless” at all.

This is definitely one of the more entertaining etymology books out there.

Author website: jesszafarris.com