Lexicology is about words, their meanings and the relationships between
them, their origins and their structure. It combines the study of
derivational morphology with lexical semantics.
This textbook explores the history, meanings and structure of words, the
way they are collected in dictionaries and the way they are stored in
our minds. It goes beyond examining the morphological structure of words
to examine the way words are spelt and the way they sound. At every
stage, the book focuses not only on description, but also on the puzzles
that words present. Supported by numerous examples, exercises,
discussion questions, suggestions for further reading and a glossary,
this is an accessible and lively guide to the linguistic study of
English through the consideration of words.