This unusual but potentially very useful work by independent scholar Danner presents the 'most-used word roots' in English. Essentially it is a series of tables that alphabetically list various word 'elements' (such as 'ace') and the original words from which they were derived (in this case, the Latin acerbus). These tables also include lists of the various forms that this element may take in English words, along with examples of those words. Some, such as 'cute,' which comes from 'acute,' which in turn derives from 'ace,' may be surprising. . . .This one includes some 1,200 roots from a variety of disciplines and languages, such as Latin, Greek, and Old French. The Thesaurus probably works best if one starts with a specific root/element rather than a word. . . .Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers.

Choice Reviews

More than 1,200 word roots across a range of disciplines are included in this large thesaurus. Here one can expand one’s knowledge of English word meanings by learning their roots, or combining forms. The sheer volume of information provided here is unmatched by other word root thesauri, as most are limited to a single discipline or offer few examples of terms containing these roots. . . .[This is] a comprehensive and fascinating reference work.

American Reference Books Annual