Walter Skeat (1835-1912) was one of the greatest investigators of the roots of the English language, and his remarkable scholarship was instrumental in the revival of the great works of early English Literature. His astonishing detective work into the origins and development of the world's most widely used language provides an unsurpassed guide to its flexibility and richness.

The perfect reference book for everyday use, it provides definitions written in clear, jargon-free language readily accessible to every level of reader.

This unique and informative dictionary explores the history, meanings, and origin of place names around the world. In over 11,000 entries it covers an enormous geographical range, including continents, countries, islands, cities, mountains, rivers, and much more. Key historical facts are incorporated into each entry, as well as a record of the place name in the local language for an accurate and comprehensive account. For this fifth edition, 134 entirely new entries have been added, including Byzantine Empire, Lac qui Parle, Nasr, Sauk City, and Yekaterinogradskaya. Existing entries have also been fully updated to reflect recent socio-political and geographical changes, most notably in Eswatini and Northern Macedonia. In addition to the entries themselves, the dictionary contains invaluable supplementary content to support the text. There is a glossary of foreign word elements which appear in place names, as well as a list of personalities and leaders who have influenced the naming of places around the world.