Michael Quinion (born c. 1943) is a British
etymologist and writer.
He ran World Wide Words, a website devoted to
linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Ling ...
. He graduated from
Peterhouse, Cambridge
Peterhouse is the oldest constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England, founded in 1284 by Hugh de Balsham, Bishop of Ely. Today, Peterhouse has 254 undergraduates, 116 full-time graduate students and 54 fellows. It is quite ...
, where he studied
physical sciences
Physical science is a branch of natural science that studies non-living systems, in contrast to life science. It in turn has many branches, each referred to as a "physical science", together called the "physical sciences".
Definition
Phy ...
and after which he joined
BBC radio as a studio manager.
Writer
Quinion has contributed extensively to the ''
Oxford English Dictionary
The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a c ...
'' as well as the ''Oxford Dictionary of New Words'' (Second Edition, 1996). He has since written ''Ologies and Isms''
(a 2002 dictionary of affixes) and ''Port Out, Starboard Home: And Other Language Myths'' (2004), published in the US as ''Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins''
[''Port Out Starboard Home: And Other Language Myths'' is published outside the US by Penguin Books (Hardcover /Paperback )]
In the United States it is published by the Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Found ...
Press as ''Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds'' (Hardcover /Paperback )
His most recent book is ''Gallimaufry: A Hodgepodge of Our Vanishing Vocabulary'' (2006). He wrote two books about orcharding and cidermaking, one titled ''Cidermaking'' (published by
Shire Publications), the other, ''A Drink for Its Time'', published by the Cider Museum in
Hereford
Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester, England, Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. ...
, where he served as curator.
World Wide Words
Quinion is the author and webmaster of World Wide Words, a site that documents the meaning and derivation of English language words and phrases. It covers a wide range of issues, including
etymology
Etymology () The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the form of words ...
,
grammar
In linguistics, the grammar of a natural language is its set of structural constraints on speakers' or writers' composition of clauses, phrases, and words. The term can also refer to the study of such constraints, a field that includes doma ...
,
neologism
A neologism Ancient_Greek.html"_;"title="_from_Ancient_Greek">Greek_νέο-_''néo''(="new")_and_λόγος_/''lógos''_meaning_"speech,_utterance"is_a_relatively_recent_or_isolated_term,_word,_or_phrase_that_may_be_in_the_process_of_entering_com ...
s, writing style and book reviews. This site explores International English from a British viewpoint. The website features a large database of word-related topics, weird words, articles on word and phrase origins, and answers to questions from site visitors. It also offers a free weekly newsletter, which contains the latest additions to the database one week before they are posted on the website. The time delay allows for newsletter subscribers to respond with additional insights and comments, some of which may be included on the posted articles.
On 18 October 2014, Quinion announced that in future his newsletters would be published less frequently because writing a scheduled weekly newsletter had become increasingly arduous. In early 2017, Quinion sent out a message to newsletter subscribers stating that for unspecified personal reasons he was suspending publication of World Wide Words. Then on 4 March 2017, Quinion released to subscribers confirmation that the newsletter would be immediately permanently ended due to his personal circumstances as well as his own changing personal interests.
A recurring theme in Quinion's articles is the criticism of
false etymology
A false etymology (fake etymology, popular etymology, etymythology, pseudo-etymology, or par(a)etymology) is a popular but false belief about the origin or derivation of a specific word. It is sometimes called a folk etymology, but this is also a ...
. Such popular etymologies often have the effect of obscuring the true origins of a word or expression by providing a misleading and often unsubstantiated story explaining its origin. Quinion's ''Port Out, Starboard Home'' (''Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds'' in the US) deals with many such etymologies.
Bibliography
*''A Drink for Its Time: Farm Cider Making in the Western Counties'' 1979
*''Cidermaking'' 1982, 2009
*''Ologies and Isms: A Dictionary of Word Beginnings and Endings'' 2002
*''Port Out, Starboard Home: And Other Language Myths'' 2004
*''Gallimaufry: A Hodgepodge of Our Vanishing Vocabulary'' 2006
*''Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins'' 2006
*''Why is Q Always Followed by U?: Word-Perfect Answers to the Most-Asked Questions About Language'' 2009
Notes
References
External links
World Wide Words
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quinion, Michael
1940s births
Living people
Alumni of Peterhouse, Cambridge
Etymologists
Linguists from the United Kingdom
Date of birth missing (living people)
Place of birth missing (living people)
20th-century linguists
21st-century English writers
21st-century linguists
20th-century English male writers
21st-century British non-fiction writers
20th-century British non-fiction writers
20th-century English writers
21st-century English male writers