Origins of Mathematical Words

This book is a reliable resource for mathematics educators, mathematics historians, graduate students in the mathematical sciences, and anyone interested in the origins of many common mathematical words. I recommend it to anyone who wishes to learn, use, and understand correct mathematical terminology based on historical origins and meanings.

This sophisticated, one-of-a-kind dictionary, based on decades of painstaking research by its charismatic author, will delight mathematicians and word lovers alike. It is a treasure-chest of rare gems, a godsend to all teachers of the subject and its history... Lo Bello's scholarship, combined with his refreshingly personal exposition, brings to mind Briggs' remark on reading Napier's Mirifici Logarithmorum Canonis Descriptio in 1614, 'I never saw a Book which pleased me better.'

In addition to mathematical explanation, [Origins of Mathematical Words ] gives insight into the thinking of ancient mathematicians and hints and the winding paths of knowledge over the past two millennia. While aspects of this history are available in, say, The Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the account here is more complete, more compelling, and geared to a mathematical reader... Origins of Mathematical Words is an engaging book that would be useful on any mathematician's shelf.

About a year and a half ago I was asking about the availability of good books on Latin and Greek roots of modern scientific terminology. I'm happy to discover that now there's a good one (for mathematics) in Anthony LoBello Origins of Mathematical Words. A Comprehensive Dictionary of Latin, Greek, and Arabic Roots. One of those dictionaries made to be read from cover to cover, really.