The Painted Word: A Treasure Chest of Remarkable Words and Their Origins

Phil Cousineau takes us on another tour of intriguing word origins with by exploring the colorful back stories of the few hundred words in The Painted Word. In this follow up to his popular book of word stories, Wordcatcher, Cousineau lures readers by his love of language and inspires them to be more daring and playful with words.

To untangle the knot of interlocking meanings of these painted words, logophile and mythologist Phil Cousineau begins each fascinating word entry with his own brief definition. He then fills it in with a tint of etymology and a splattering of quotes that show how the word is used, ending with a list of companion words. The words themselves range from commonplace — like biscuit, a twice-baked cake for Roman soldiers — to loanwords including chaparral, from the Basque shepherds who came to the American West; words from myths, such as hector; metamorphosis words, like silly, which evolved from holy to goofy in a mere thousand years; and words well worthy of revival, such as carrytale, a wandering storyteller.

Whether old-fangled or brand new, all the words included in The Painted Word possess an ineffable quality that makes them luminous. Every reader will relish this beautifully illustrated book complete with dozens of gorgeous artworks by Gregg Chadwick. The Painted Word is the perfect gift for every book lover.