by Theresa Ann White

Created on: February 15, 2009

The Online Etymology Dictionary is the creation of one inspired writer, Douglas Harper, who started the site as a place where he could share his beloved books and writers and his love for obscure words.

Originated in 2001, the Online Etymology Dictionary is a heavily-visited site with a searchable database of thousands of word origins, starting with "-ability" and concluding with "zymurgy." Each letter of the alphabet is represented, and within each letter section, anywhere from two to 20 pages of etymological information exists.

For those among us who share Harper's devotion to the word, it is a treasure chest waiting to be opened. Writers of all genres, but especially historians, poets, essayists and scholarly writers frequent the site, uncovering the historical beginnings and evolution of a single word. Educators and students also mine the site for its wealth of information.

A published historical writer and former journalist with four titles bearing his name, Harper consulted several sources to build his etymological dictionary. These include Dr. Ernest
Klein's A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language (Amsterdam, 1971), the Dictionary of American Slang (Chapman, 1995, 3rd ed) and the formidable Oxford English Dictionary (2nd Ed). Each etymological entry is accompanied by an abbreviation which references it source language, part of speech, tense, device and clues to its pronunciation.

Words in the dictionary are commonly given the date of their origin, the source language and then an explanation of their meaning. Further explication is also included, and if available, Harper provides a resource which directs the reader to the word origin. For example, the word "dada" appears with this entry:

dada - 1920, from Fr. dada "hobbyhorse," child's
nonsense word, selected 1916 by Romanian poet Tristan Tzara, leader of the movement, for its resemblance to meaningless babble.

"Freedom: DADA DADA DADA, the howl of clashing colors, the intertwining of all contradictions, grotesqueries, trivialities: LIFE." [T. Tzara, "Dada Manifesto," 1918]

Mottoes, quotes, holidays, mythical places, mythical characters, proper nouns and single letters are all treated with this same formula of explanation. The search engine on the database adds to the site's overall value. Searches can be conducted in any one of four modes, which include Natural Language, Exact Phrase, Single Term or generic Terms.

Harper dedicates his site to "to all those who seek the old paths, the well-worn, unpaved hill-ways; and especially to those who honor the elder teachers." He saves his special dedication to the Gaelic priestess Brighid, patroness of poets, showing his preference for this writing and those who practice the art.

The scholarly comprehensiveness and the devotional effort of its creator, Douglas Harper, makes the Online Etymological Dictionary the premier Internet site for etymological reference.

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