Etymological Dictionary of Greek

Compiled by Beekes (emeritus, comparative Indo-European linguistics, Leiden U., the Netherlands), this impressive 2-volume work presents the first English version of an etymological dictionary of Greek, one that incorporates the advances made in Greek studies since earlier versions were published (in other languages). In the preface, Beekes emphasizes three aspects lacking in earlier works that have transformed Greek etymology: laryngeal theory, fuller knowledge of Mycenaean, and the abandoning of the Pelasgian theory. In the entries, earlier, erroneous etymologies are cited. The 7500 entries each include grammatical information, glosses, translation of the glosses into English, list of variants, dialectal forms, and the etymology. References are included within each entry. Beekes rejects the use of the Pelasgian theory, and includes a chapter on pre-Greek loanwords to introduce his approach. The dictionary is beautifully presented, with each section of the entry clearly delineated, in part through bullet points. An extensive bibliography is provided. Lucien van Beek (Leiden U. Centre for Linguistics, the Netherlands) edited the volume and provided the corrections. Annotation c2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Robert S. P. Beekes (Ph.D. 1969) is Professor emeritus of Comparative Indo- European Linguistics at Leiden University. He has published extensively on the historical grammar of Greek, Iranian and Indo-European, including The Development of the Proto-Indo-European Laryngeals in Greek (Mouton, 1969), The Origins of the Indo-European Nominal Inflection (IBS, 1985), A Grammar of Gatha-Avestan (Brill, 1988), and Comparative Indo-European Linguistics: An Introduction (Benjamins, 1995).