Thank you Netgalley, John Murray Press, and Jess Zafarris for sending me this advanced review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a really fun info packed book. It's the kind of book I'd keep in the kitchen to read a few pages here and there while waiting for something to finish cooking. It's easy to pick up and put down.

I loved learning all the little bits of history about the words we use, and it can also help you figure out words in the future when you run across ones you don't know too. It's a great skill, and can even help translate words in other languages too.

I think this could be a really fun gift, especially for a writer friend.

Honestly, this was so interesting!
If you are someone who gets giddy over trivia, language oddities, or saying "did you know..." more than is socially acceptable, this is definitely your kind of book.

The structure took a little adjusting at first, as it doesn't follow a traditional narrative flow, but once I got the feel for it, I was hooked. The entries are full of delightful little revelations. It's the kind of book you could binge in one sitting or snack on between reads.

Etymology, but even more entertaining. Let me know your thoughts about "sinister" or "thesaurus" after lol.

Thank you to Net Galley and The Author for this ARC, I am leaving this review voluntarily with my honest opinion.

As a Literacy teacher, I love etymology and word origins. This book is fun, approachable, and informative.

It was out of pure chance seeing this book that I decided to read it, and I am very happy that I did.

I do think this would be better in a physical copy and occasional I’d find myself losing track on the e-pages.
But overall a insightful and informative book.
If you like etymology, this is worth the read.

I love this book.

I love words and their definitions and how those definitions almost always evolve into something new. I love finding the generational relationships between words.

If you’re anything like me you too will love this book. It’s both humorous and fascinating.

A witty, conversational meander into the history of words, perfect for anyone who wonders why English is so complicated a language. Zafarris is your guide through complexities that spiral from singular roots to the numerous linguistic offspring used in our everyday vocabulary. In short, a lot of word based fun.

A really really fascinating read. I find the whole world of language and linguistics extremely interesting and this is the kind of book that I can get absorbed in. For the less nerdy people out there this is the definition of a "coffee table book". The perfect kind of book to have lying around in your living room where you can pick it up, flip to a random page and delve into something. Before you know it you will have devoured half the book!

A really interesting and informative read and very well written too. It remains engaging throughout and doesn't fall into the trap of becoming too dry and uninteresting.

I think this may be my favorite book on word/language origins that I have read. It is informative and written in a style that is easy to follow and get immersed in. I received this ARC as an e-book but will definitely be buying a physical copy when it is released so that I can re-read it over and over. I loved finding out the origins of everyday words and also the background the author gives about how the English language came to be developed over the centuries. Every time I see a pinecone now I am tempted to call it a pineapple. If you love learning about anything to do with language I highly recommend this book!

What a fun linguistic read! I have been waiting for something to make me feel excited, like when I studied linguistics in university~ This book was full of fun "factoids" and stories. The book flowed, and the author knew how to blend in fact with fun, and the transitions were not harsh as I knew other nonfiction linguistic books to be. If you want to learn and have fun, this read is for you!

This book is a linguistic delight. If you love words and reading, you’ll enjoy every page of this remarkable tome. Jess Zafaris has created a wholly engaging lexicon that will keep the reader not only entertained, but informed. I was fascinated early on to learn that the origin of ‘factoid’ is attributed to Norman Mailer, in reference to many articles about Marilyn Monroe. This is a book that deserves to be well thumbed ( I shall be buying a hard copy on publication as it’s a must for my bookshelf). I’ve learned a great deal about the roots of many words and it makes you think about everything you hear and read. It’s inspirational if you enjoy crosswords as it opens the mind to different meanings, often helpful in solving clues. I have always liked words, per se. As a child, I loved the word baobab because it was such a strange mix of vowels and a single consonant. That curiosity about words has never left me and this book, for me, is a dream. I love the oxymoronic title! Clever. There’s an extensive bibliography with food for further reading and possibly an index. There’s a header but no content for this section in the proof copy. I Love, love love it and I urge you to dip in.
My sincere thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

This enjoyable book does what it says in the subtitle. It explains how some English words gradually changed meaning, why there are sometimes baffling spellings for some words, has chapters on amusing words in various categories, and more. I liked this book, but I think I would've liked it more in physical book form instead of as an e-book read on my phone. This is because, while each chapter can stand alone, the book as a whole didn't really flow for me (I don't know if it was even supposed to) and it would have been more enjoyable to pick up the book, open it at random, and read a chapter or two as the mood struck. Indeed, the author mentions doing just that in her introduction. Still, as an essay collection or set of articles, it's an interesting and worthwhile read. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Very interesting and entertaining. I think it would be better as a physical book than the ebook I read, as it would make a nice gift or bathroom book, got a bit samey trying to read it for any real amount of time. Very much a few minutes at a time kinda book.

I was fortunate enough to read this book as an ARC and while I learned alot and had a good time. I do believe this book is a bit long. It is well researched and the authors love foe etymology shines through clearly.

Thank you to the author and publisher for giving me early access.

(This review will also appear on my storygraph)

This is not a book to read all in one go. It is a book which is great fun to dip into, to read during the adverts and to read a chapter before going to sleep. The book is written in a light-hearted and amusing way, which certainly increases the pleasure of reading it.
A certain amount is reasonably obvious. Lots of English words come from Latin and Greek, and many of them reached English via French. On the other hand, a lot of words came via German. As I speak Dutch, that aspect was more interesting. The Dutch word for happy and the English word for frog have the same root in Middle Dutch, meaning jump for joy!
This review was based on an advance review copy of the book kindly provided by the publisher in return for an honest review via NetGalley.

Utterly enjoyable from start to finish. I didn’t expect the book to be this good when I picked it up. I’m not a linguistics enthusiast, but I do enjoy learning. I liked that the author included plenty of interesting tidbits without making things tedious for the reader. Bonus points for accessibility and humor. I’m definitely picking up a copy of her previous books.

Got the eARC from NetGalley. Thanks to NetGalley, Jess Zafarris and John Murray Press.

Useless Etymology is exactly what it sounds like: a collection of historical, linguistic, and contextual descriptions of words that you may or may not ever need to know. For word nerds, it’s a treat.

While you don’t need any special knowledge coming into this book, I expect you’ll enjoy it a bit more if you have a background in Latin, Greek, Old English, or French. I have a degree in Linguistics and studied classical Latin for 5 years (in addition to my knowledge of Spanish & English). With that in mind, I found different parts of this book exciting or tedious and everything in between.

The chapters are broken down into themed groupings, but I couldn’t necessarily catch any coherent flow between the chapters. There are SO MANY word breakdowns, and you’re constantly hopping from one tidbit to another. At times, this structure made it difficult to stay focused on the book.

However, I did really enjoy the natural tone and acknowledgement of the ways in which identity, power, and language intersect (i.e., classism, sexism, racism, & colonization). I most enjoyed the sections on words related to the sea, space, months, and language. Plus, I don’t think I’m ever going to get over the Grelling–Nelson paradox.

3.5/5⭐️

A fun and informative read! It’s always a great thing when good information is presented well and with a great sense of humor.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! This was such a fun read and I learned lots while reading this. If you are interested in etymology in the slightest, I highly recommend picking up a copy of this book!

Very fun read! I love word trivia, and this book is jam packed with it, and written in a very inviting and almost conversational style. Even though I am in no way an academic, I still ate this up. Even the introduction was fun.

Something I found very appealing about this book is that not only did it have explanations of how words developed and are used, but it included many interesting examples. It includes the words that were previously used in place of the current word, which are sometimes so different it is amazing they came to be used for the same thing, and in some cases, completely replaced the original term.

Some of the humor in the book is truly nerdy - maybe overly so. It makes the book feel like it is written for a much younger audience (maybe it is? I didn't actually check the age range before diving in).

One of my favorite sections is "More on the prefix ob" since several ob- words have good memories attached. Obnoxious, obfuscate (in high school, my best friend particularly loved this word), obliterate, oblige, and obambulation are a fun grouping.

Overall, this is probably not a book I would have read without this opportunity from NetGalley, but if I'd seen it in a library or bookstore I may have paused and flipped through for some brief enjoyment. But if word trivia and words in general are a particular interest of someone you love, this would make a fun gift.

Publishing date: 09.10.2025 (DD/MM/YYYY)
Thank you to NetGalley and John Murray Press for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

I have become a huge word and language nerd recently, and this put more fuel in the fire. This was a great read and I learned lots of new things (and words).

Easily digestible, highly informative, and very fun. Love how the author writes this in such a casual manner.

Highly recommend, 5 stars.