Preface

In which the editors explain themselves.

An old English word for a treasure of words is word-hoard; Anglo-Saxon poets used it for the store of language a speaker unlocks when he begins to talk. We borrowed it because Greek mythology left English exactly that kind of treasure — hundreds of words, many hiding in plain sight — and we wanted somewhere to lay them out and look at them properly.

Who we are

Word Hoard is written by a small editorial team. We sign our work as “the editors” and speak as “we”: every chapter is researched, drafted and checked by more than one of us. We don’t publish personal bylines or portraits. Letters reach us at [email protected].

How a chapter is made

Each chapter starts from a myth and asks which words it gave English, and sometimes French, Greek or the language of science. We set the key words out on word cards — the word, the myth behind it, what it means now — and we flag every etymology that is uncertain or disputed. When ancient sources tell a story differently, we say which source we follow.

Quotations

We quote ancient authors only from public-domain translations, such as Samuel Butler’s and A. T. Murray’s Odyssey or H. G. Evelyn-White’s Hesiod, and we name the translator. Otherwise we paraphrase in our own words. We would rather paraphrase honestly than misquote confidently.

The illustrations

The pictures in this book — printed ornaments, wooden blocks, ink and paper — are created digitally for Word Hoard in a letterpress style. They are not photographs of a real print shop and contain no real people.

What this book is not

It is not a dictionary, and it is not the last word. It has no advertising, no sponsored chapters, no analytics and no account to sign up for. If you find an error, tell us; corrections are printed with thanks.