Into the Words

Find out how and why raccoons are named after their hands, squirrels after their tails and olives after their oil. Discover why "dog" is an etymological mystery and "bear" contains a hair-raising horror story.

Which animal holds the record for having the most common names?

When and why did we stop calling giraffes "camel-leopards"?

Do mushrooms have anything to do with mush or rooms?

Why are dandelions named after lions' teeth?

How should you really pluralize "octopus"?

Follow trails word history in the etymological excursion that is Into the Words. This book puts the fun in fungi, leaves language lovers contemplating forest for its trees, and reveals the wonderful stories hiding in our words for birds, beasts, insects, flowers, soil and everything in between.

Featuring both the origins of the names of different organisms, this book will captivate anyone who revels in both the glorious chaos and logic of the English language and the beauty and majesty of everything that lives on the planet Earth.

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'Into the Words is as rich in delights as the natural world that its expert author guides the reader through. Jess Zafarris has assembled an anthology of etymological information that combines impressive breadth with stimulating depth; as a writer, she regularly marshals brief 'fun facts' to make profound points about our relationship with and understanding of nature, while never failing to keep the reader entertained and intrigued. Word-nerds new and old should set off on their next hike with Into the Words stowed in their backpack!'

Danny Bate, linguist and author of Why Q Needs U