鲁常英编著的《这个词是怎么来的(英语单词起源趣谈)》集知识性、趣味性、实用性为一体，适合各层次的英语学习和热爱者。如果你是小学生或中学生，不要怕，就当故事书来读吧，词源故事一定会为你以后的单词学习铺平道路；如果你要参加诸如四、六级或雅思托福之类的英语考试的话，不要满足于词源故事，后面的词汇扩展将是你突破考试词汇的一把利剑；如果你没有考试的压力，本书也是一本不错的休闲读物。

A

abacus

abet

abracadabra

academy

acrid

admiral

adolescent

afraid

agony

alarm

album

alcohol

alibi

allegory

alligator

alone

aloof

amazon

ambiguous

ambition

ambulance

anecdote

antic

April

arena

arrest

assiduous

atlas

atone

attic

August

autumn

average

awkward

B

Babbitt

bad

ballon

bald

ballot

bandit

bank

bankrupt

barbarous

barbecue

bastard

bead

bear

bed

bedlam

beggar

berserk

Bible

bigot

bikini

bimbo

bishop

blackguard

blackmail

blarney

bless

blizzard

bluestocking

bogus

bohemian

bombast

book

boss

boulevard

boutique

bowie knife

boy

boycott

brandy

bread

breakfast

bribe

bridal

bridegroom

brigade

broker

brunch

buck

buddy

budget

bug

bugle

bully

bungalow

bunk

burdensome

bureau

bus

butterfly

buxom

C

cab

cabal

cabbage

Caesarean section

calculate

camera

canary

cancel

cancer

candid

candy

cannibal

canter

canvas

caprice

carat

cardigan

cardinal

career

carnival

carpet

cat

catastrophe

caterpillar

cattle

Catholic

chair

chance

chapel

character

charity

charisma

charming

chauffeur

chauvinism

check

chimera

China

chivalry

chowder

class

clerk

climate

cloak

cloud

clue

coach

cobalt

cobra

cocktail

cocoa

coconut

coffee

colonel

coin

comedy

comfort

commando

company

complexion

comrade

constable

continent

cookie

cool

cop

copper

coquette

cordial

corn

cornucopia

coroner

costume

court

cousin

cow

coward

coxcomb

cravat

crazy

cretin

crisscross

crocodile

crucial

curfew

currency

curtail

cynic

D

daffodil

dais

daisy

damask

date

day

D-day

deadline

debt

debut

December

delirium

demijohn

demon

denim

derrick

despot

deuce

devil

diaper

dicker

dictionary

diet

diplomat

dirge

disaster

discover

dismal

divan

dog

dollar

draconian

dragoman

dragoon

dream

dress

dumbbell

dunce

Dutch

E

Easter

eavesdropper

eccentric

echo

egis

elbow

electricity

eleven

elixir

emancipation

eminence grise

enthusiast

epicure

erotic

escape

esquire

etiquette

eureka

explode

extravagant

F

facsimile

fad

fake

fan

fanatic

farce

farm

fascinate

fascism

February

fearnought

feisty

female

fetish

filibuster

flamenco

fork

fortnight

frank

Friday

fun

flour

frontier

funky

G

galaxy

galoshes

gargantuan

garlic

gas

gauntlet

gay

gazette

genius

gentle

ghost

girl

glamour

good-bye

gorgon

gorilla

gospel

gossamer

gossip

graham

grenade

groom

grotesque

guillotine

gun

gung ho

guy

gymnasium

Gypsy

H

halcyon

Halloween

hamburger

handicap

handkerchief

handsome

hangnail

harass

harvest

hazard

hearse

hectic

hector

helicopter

helpmeet

heresy

history

hobby

honcho

honeymoon

hooker

horde

host

humble pie

humbug

humdrum

humor

husband

hussy

hyacinth

hysteria

I

idea

idiom

idiot

ignoramus

impede

inaugurate

infant

influenza

insult

intoxicate

island

J

jackanapes

jade

jalousie

janizary

January

jeans

jeep

Jehovah

jeopardy

joke

journey

jovial

juggernaut

July

June

junket

K

kangaroo

khaki

kibitz

kickshaw

kidnap

kiwifruit

knave

L

lace

lady

lampoon

learn

left

legend

lent

lesbian

lethal

lewd

libel

liberal

limousine

livery

loo

lord

lounge

lumber

lunatic

luncheon

lynch

M

macadam

macho

Mafia

magazine

magnet

mail

malaria

mall

Mandarin

maneuver

marathon

march

marmalade

marshal

martinet

mascot

masochism

mass

matinee

maudlin

mausoleum

maverick

May

mayday

meal

mentor

mercy

mesmerize

mess

migraine

milliner

miniature

mob

monday

money

monster

morphine

mountebank

mugwump

muscle

museum

music

musket

N

namby-pamby

narcissism

nausea

necklace

neighbor

nemesis

nepotism

nice

nickel

nickname

nicotine

nightmare

noisome

noon

nostrum

November

numskull

O

October

OK

Old Nick

]omelette

orangutan

ordeal

orient

ornery

Oscar

oscillate

ostracism

ottoman

P

pagan

pal

palace

palm

pamphlet

pandemonium

pander

panhandle

panic

panorama

pants

paparazzo

paper

parachute

parasite

pariah

park

patrol

patter

pavilion

pay

pea

peach

peanut

peculiar

pedagogue

pedigree

pen

pencil

penguin

peninsula

perfume

person

pester

petticoat

philistine

piano

picnic

pipsqueak

poppycock

posh

potato

potpourri

powwow

precipitate

precarious

precocious

prestige

priest

pretext

prevaricate

prize

procrustean

profane

propaganda

protocol

prune

pundit

puny

pupil

puppet

Q

quack

queue

quibble

quicksilver

quintessence

quisling

quorum

quiz

R

racket

ranch

rankle

rapture

rasher

recalcitrant

recipe

reefer

remorse

republic

retaliate

rich

riddle

riffraff

right

rigmarole

rival

road

roam

robe

robot

romance

roorback

rostrum

rubber

S

sabotage

sacrament

sacrilege

sad

sadism

salary

salver

sandwich

sarcasm

sarcophagus

sardonic

satellite

satin

Saturday

savage

scapegoat

scavenger

scepter

school

scrimmage

scruple

second

semester

seminary

senate

September

shagreen

shambles

sherry

shibboleth

shindig

shrew

shuttlecock

shyster

silhouette

silly

sincere

sinecure

sinister

siren

sirloin

size

skirt

slander

slapstick

slave

slogan

smog

sneeze

snob

soccer

sock

sofa

sojourner

soldier

sophomore

spade

speed

spinster

spruce

stamina

starve

steadfast

stentorian

stepchild

steward

stoic

story

succinct

suede

sunbeam

Sunday

supercilious

surly

sycophant

symposium

syphilis

T

talent

tantalize

tarantula

tariff

tawdry

tea

teetotaler

tenderfoot

tennis

test

thesaurus

thing

thrill

thug

Thursday

toady

toast

toilet

tomato

torpedo

town

tragedy

travel

treacle

treason

tribulation

trivial

trophy

trousers

Tuesday

tulip

turkey

turnpike

tuxedo

twilight

typhoon

U

umbrage

umpire

uncouth

undertaker

urchin

utopia

utter

V

vaccine

valentine

vandal

vanilla

vaudeville

venom

villain

vine

vinegar

vitamin

volume

W

warlock

Wednesday

weird

Welsh

whiskey

window

wizard

woman

X

Xmas

Y

yacht

yahoo

Yankee

yardstick

yen

Yule

yuppie

Z

zenith

zest

zodiac

zoo