The Etymologicon cover art

The Etymologicon

A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Etymologicon

By: Mark Forsyth
Narrated by: Simon Shepherd
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $21.99

Buy Now for $21.99

About this listen

A quirky, entertaining and thought-provoking tour of the unexpected connections between words, read by Simon Shepherd. What is the actual connection between disgruntled and gruntled? What links church organs to organised crime, California to the Caliphate, or brackets to codpieces?

The Etymologicon springs from Mark Forsyth's Inky Fool blog on the strange connections between words. It's an occasionally ribald, frequently witty and unerringly erudite guided tour of the secret labyrinth that lurks beneath the English language, taking in monks and monkeys, film buffs and buffaloes, and explaining precisely what the Rolling Stones have to do with gardening.

©2012 Mark Forsyth (P)2014 Audible, Inc. Social Sciences Witty
All stars
Most relevant  
very funny romp around the weird connections and stories behind words. I wish it was longer!

Delightful fascinating funny

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Wonderful book for word nerds. Not only is it fascinating and somewhat educational, but it’s very funny and well narrated. It’s sort of like listening to a long string of consciousness. Good entertainment and quite interesting, have been recommending it to all my equally nerdy friends.

Funny and Fascinating

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
If you like etymology, and want to kill 7 or so hour; this is a good book. It's not entirely coherent, and comes off as hours of "fun facts" in a subject that strikes my fancy.

A cute little book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.