Heron Derivation Dictionary Fifth Edition

A derivation gives a fuller understanding of a word by telling how a word has changed from its original form to become what it means today. For example, the word amphibian comes from a Greek word meaning “living a double life.”

Help your students gain mastery of English and a greater appreciation of words through understanding the history of many words they might look up in the dictionary.

Since the derivations in many dictionaries are difficult for younger readers to follow, The Heron Derivation Dictionary was written as a tool for students ages 12-14, and provides derivations for approximately 11,450 commonly used words. The dictionary has been found to be very useful not only with that age group, but with older students who are interested in derivations.

Also included in the dictionary is a brief history of the English language, information on common symbols and terms found in dictionary derivations, and a glossary of terms.