Words are the elements of a language that also serve as a mirror reflecting the cultural history and development of a people. Tracing words to their origins will open a unique window to human civilization and help us understand the roots of some of our present social trends and attitudes.

The primary motivation for writing this book is the hope that it may foster a greater appreciation of the variances among different languages and cultures, and ultimately nurture a greater understanding among those who speak apparently different languages.

The words and their documented derivations in this dictionary are displayed in "family tree" charts to make it easier to see the ties between cognate words like siblings and cousins in the same family.