Project Gutenberg 2007-12-21 Public domain in the USA. 680 Weekley, Ernest 1865 1954 The Romance of Words (4th ed.) Produced by Jonathan Ingram, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "The Romance of Words" by Ernest Weekley is a linguistic exploration written in the early 20th century. This work delves into the etymology of various English words, tracing their historical origins and transformations over time. Weekley's aim is to present the often-surprising histories of these words in an accessible manner, catering to those with a casual interest in language rather than specialists in the field. The opening of the book introduces the intricate makeup of the English vocabulary, detailing its Latin, Old English, and Norse components, with particular emphasis on the influence of Old French. Weekley discusses how words can have complex and layered meanings, showing how native terms can become obsolete in favor of borrowed ones. He highlights the romance of language and the intriguing tales that accompany the evolution of words, making it clear that this work is intended not only for educational purposes but also for the enjoyment of language enthusiasts. The author sets the stage for a deeper exploration of language, inviting readers to uncover the unexpected narratives behind familiar terms. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 74.0 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en English language -- Etymology English language -- Semantics PE Text Category: Language & Communication 694563 2025-07-10T05:30:00.048988 text/html 659814 2007-12-21T13:06:08 text/html 303353 2025-07-10T05:30:19.702363 application/epub+zip 315203 2025-07-10T05:30:05.073456 application/epub+zip 299613 2025-07-10T05:30:02.784962 application/epub+zip 670328 2025-07-10T05:30:27.555317 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 630255 2025-07-10T05:30:17.815378 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 595183 2022-09-11T07:48:43.848834 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 451265 2025-07-10T05:29:56.815966 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 451116 2007-12-21T13:06:06 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 450761 2007-12-21T13:06:20 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 450847 2007-12-21T13:06:20 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 22491 2025-07-10T05:30:27.740314 application/rdf+xml 13570 2025-07-10T05:30:03.457962 image/jpeg 3272 2025-07-10T05:30:03.127932 image/jpeg 182924 2007-12-21T13:06:24 application/octet-stream application/zip 182246 2007-12-21T13:06:24 application/octet-stream application/zip 208740 2007-12-21T13:06:24 application/octet-stream application/zip 181751 2007-12-21T13:06:24 application/octet-stream application/zip 284584 2025-07-10T05:30:00.092970 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia