Origins: A Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern English
Eric Partridge, "Origins: A Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern English"
ISBN: 0415050774, 0415474337 | 1977 | EPUB | 992 pages | 3 MB
This etymological dictionary gives the origins of some 20,000 items from the modern English vocabulary, discussing them in groups that make clear the connections between words derived by a variety of routes from originally common stock.
As well as giving the answers to questions about the derivation of individual words, it is a fascinating book to browse through, and includes extensive lists of prefixes, suffixes, and elements used in the creation of new vocabulary.