The Browser's Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases

From Library Journal:

Directed at the everyday speaker of American English, this dictionary aims to define English words with foreign sources surely a daunting task, since many English words have come from other languages. Varchaver and Moore (coauthors of The Dictionary of the Performing Arts) tried to limit the number of entries by including only those recently adopted, but as a result the word choice seems arbitrary. Entries include pronunciation, definition, and often a sample sentence to illustrate use. However, only about a quarter of the words have sample sentences, and many of the less familiar words were not among them. In addition, many of the samples are quite generic, and some include a citation noting the source, which seems unnecessary since this is not an academic book. This work may be of interest to the "browser" of the title and of limited assistance to someone seeking a simple etymology, but the serious scholar or lover of the language will find it lightweight. Manya Chylinski, Ernst & Young Ctr., for Business Knowledge, Boston
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review:

"A tour de force of exotica sure to interest the word-conscious epicure. Bon appétit!" –Jeffrey Kacirk, author of The Word Museum and Forgotten English

"Kudos (Greek), encomiums (Latin), and accolades (French) to the authors for their enlightening and amusing lexicon, a testament that English is the most cheerfully democratic and hospitable language ever cobbled together." –Richard Lederer, author of The Miracle of Language

Review:

"Kudos (Greek), encomiums (Latin), and accolades (French) to the authors for their enlightening and amusing lexicon, a testament that English is the most cheerfully democratic and hospitable language ever cobbled together." –Richard Lederer, author of The Miracle of Language

"A tour de force of exotica sure to interest the word-conscious epicure. Bon appétit!" –Jeffrey Kacirk, author of The Word Museum and Forgotten English

Book Description:

"Kudos (Greek), encomiums (Latin), and accolades (French) to the authors for their enlightening and amusing lexicon, a testament that English is the most cheerfully democratic and hospitable language ever cobbled together."–Richard Lederer, author of The Miracle of Language

From angst to zydeco, the ultimate guide to foreign terms and phrases

This handy, practical, and browsable A-to-Z reference tells you all you need to know to understand, pronounce, and appreciate the nearly 2,000 foreign words and phrases commonly used by speakers and writers of English. The Browser's Dictionary covers a wide variety of subject areas and includes loan-words from more than sixty languages around the world, such as:

Latin (desideratum) • the romance languages (rapprochement, macho, imbroglio) • German (gestalt) • Russian (gulag) • Hebrew (shibboleth) • Yiddish (shtick) • Persian (tambura) • Hindi (purdah) • Arabic (loofah) • Hawaiian (kanaka) • Creole French (zydeco) • and Japanese (netsuke)

In addition, each entry provides:

* A guide to pronunciation using easy-to-understand transcriptions from ordinary English
* Comprehensive literal and idiomatic definitions
* The word’s source language, as well as its literal meaning

The Browser's Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases is sure to become a favorite reference for anyone with an interest in words and language.

Book Info:

Handy, practical, and browsable A-Z reference tells you all you need to know to understand, pronounce, and appreciate the nearly 2,000 foreign words and phrases commonly used by speakers and writers of English.


From the Publisher:

"Kudos (Greek), encomiums (Latin), and accolades (French) to the authors for their enlightening and amusing lexicon, a testament that English is the most cheerfully democratic and hospitable language ever cobbled together." –Richard Lederer, author of The Miracle of Language

"A tour de force of exotica sure to interest the word-conscious epicure. Bon appétit!" (Jeffrey Kacirk, author of The Word Museum and Forgotten English)


From the Inside Flap:

"A tour de force of exotica sure to interest the word-conscious epicure. Bon appétit!"–Jeffrey Kacirk, author of The Word Museum and Forgotten English

English is not only the most widely spoken language in the world, it is also the most dynamic. And one of the chief sources of its enormous vitality is the many foreign words and phrases, from armoire and ayatollah to cabriolet and knish, that continually enrich it. Containing selections that reflect our everyday discourse and illuminate the words and phrases we come across in the newspapers or on television, The Browser's Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases is an A-to-Z compendium of the thousands of loanwords currently used in English speech and writing.

With almost 2,000 entries from over sixty languages, this unique reference is a globetrotting tour through the unusually exotic and surprisingly familiar foreign words that have entered English usage. Featuring recent additions to the language as well as older words whose current usage may have changed over time, The Browser's Dictionary makes pronunciation easy by avoiding complex phonetic symbols and offers hundreds of example sentences to show how these words are used. Each entry also includes a simple, comprehensive definition, etymology, and, wherever possible, the fascinating story of how it managed to find its way into English.

As absorbing as it is informative, here is the ultimate guide for writers, editors, and word lovers of every ilk.


From the Back Cover:

"Kudos (Greek), encomiums (Latin), and accolades (French) to the authors for their enlightening and amusing lexicon, a testament that English is the most cheerfully democratic and hospitable language ever cobbled together."–Richard Lederer, author of The Miracle of Language

From angst to zydeco, the ultimate guide to foreign terms and phrases

This handy, practical, and browsable A-to-Z reference tells you all you need to know to understand, pronounce, and appreciate the nearly 2,000 foreign words and phrases commonly used by speakers and writers of English. The Browser's Dictionary covers a wide variety of subject areas and includes loan-words from more than sixty languages around the world, such as:

Latin (desideratum) • the romance languages (rapprochement, macho, imbroglio) • German (gestalt) • Russian (gulag) • Hebrew (shibboleth) • Yiddish (shtick) • Persian (tambura) • Hindi (purdah) • Arabic (loofah) • Hawaiian (kanaka) • Creole French (zydeco) • and Japanese (netsuke)

In addition, each entry provides:

* A guide to pronunciation using easy-to-understand transcriptions from ordinary English
* Comprehensive literal and idiomatic definitions
* The word’s source language, as well as its literal meaning

The Browser's Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases is sure to become a favorite reference for anyone with an interest in words and language.

About the Author:

MARY VARCHAVER is a freelance writer, researcher, and editor, living in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. She is also the coauthor, along with FRANK LEDLIE MOORE, of The Dictionary of the Performing Arts.