Useless Etymology: Offbeat Word Origins for Curious Minds

Did you know that an "astronaut" is literally a "star sailor," that a thesaurus is, in fact, a "treasure
trove" of words, and that someone who is "sinister" is actually just "left-handed"?

Have you ever wondered why English isn't considered a Romance language if 60% of our
words are Latin-derived?

Did Shakespeare really invent 1,700 words, and if not, why the heck do we say that he did?

Why is the English language stuffed with so many synonyms?

Let's be real: English can seem pretty bonkers. And, well, sometimes it is. But through thorough thought and a pinch of curiosity, method can be found within the madness of our modern tongue-even within the disparate pronunciation of the words "through," "thorough," and "thought."

Derived from Germanic, Romance, Hellenic, Semitic, African and Native American languages, English contains multitudes. It has been (and continues to be) transformed by war and conquest, art and literature, science and technology, love and hate, wit and whim.

Useless Etymology takes readers on a time-traveling adventure to unlock the beauty, wonder, and absurdity within our everyday words, how they came to be, and the unexpected ways their origins weave a global, cross-cultural labyrinth of meaning.

Filled with fun facts and delightful discoveries, this is an enlightening read for anyone who wants to know more about why the English language works the way that it does.

Author: Jess Zafarris
Publisher: Chambers
Published: 10/07/2025
Pages: 336
Binding Type: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781399809184


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 08/18/2025

About the Author
Jess Zafarris is the author of the etymology books Words From Hell (Chambers, 2023) and Once Upon a Word (Rockridge Press 2020). Jess is an educational content creator and blogger who focuses on etymology and word-history-focused deep dives and explanations on her TikTok channel @jesszafarris and website uselessetymology.com. She also co-hosts the Words Unravelled podcast.

She has appeared on podcasts including Dear Hank and John, Social Pros, Failing Writers, Yeah That's Probably an Ad, and Author2Author. Previously a content and engagement director, journalist, editor, and social media strategist responsible for developing multimedia content for brands, publishers and media outlets such as Adweek, Ragan Communications, Writer's Digest, and Script, Jess also contributed to the tabletop game League of the Lexicon and the Writer's Digest Daily Calendar 2020, and both her master's and undergraduate degrees focused on the development of English through literature, as well as journalism, anthropology and language studies.