An Etymological Study of the Ten Thousand 
Words in Thorndike’s Teacher s 
Word Book 
By Edward Y, Lindsay, A.M. 
Instructor in Latin and Greek, Indiana University 
EXPLANATORY FOREWORD 
I. Object of the Study 
The object of the study the results of which are recorded 
in the following pages is threefold: First, it is intended to 
show as nearly as possible the extent of the contribution, 
both in number of derivatives and frequency of their use, of 
each source language whose derivatives occur among the 
10,000 English words in Professor Thorndike's Teacher’s 
Word Book. Second, it is intended to establish two lists of 
source words: a Latin list, alphabetically arranged and with 
relative rank of each word in the list indicated, of the source 
words of the Latin derivatives among the 10,000 English 
words mentioned above, and a list similarly arranged of 
the source words of the Greek derivatives among the same 
English words. In the third place, it is intended to deter- 
mine the value of the vocabulary presented by the traditional 
Latin authors (Caesar, Cicero, and Vergil) read in the sec- 
ondary schools for giving acquaintance with the Latin source 
words of the Latin derivatives among the most commonly 
used English words. This is to be attained by comparing the 
list of Latin source words mentioned above with the words 
contained in Professor Lodge's Vocabulary of High School 
Latin. 
II. Results and Conclusions 
To summarize the results of this study and to state briefly 
the conclusions, the following may be said : 
First, among the 10,000 English words in the Teacher’s 
Word Book, i.e., Professor Thorndike's list of words found 
to occur most widely in a count of 4,565,000 word occurrences^ 
^ See page iii, Teacheds Word Book by Professor Edward L. Thorndike, Teachers 
College, Col-umbia University, 1921, and Word Knowledge in the Elementary School hy 
Professor E, L. Thorndike in Teachers College Record for September, 1921. 
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