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. -- Daniel Jose Riano Rufilanchas, Universidad Autonomo de Madrid

Do you ever wonder about the origins of mathematical terms such as ergodic, biholomorphic, and strophoid? Here Anthony Lo Bello explains the roots of these and better-known words like asymmetric, gradient, and average. He provides Greek, Latin, and Arabic text in its original form to enhance each explanation. This sophisticated, one-of-a-kind reference for mathematicians and word lovers is based on decades of the author's painstaking research and work. Origins of Mathematical Words supplies definitions for words such as conchoid (a shell-shaped curve derived from the Greek noun for "mussel") and zenith (Arabic for "way overhead"), as well as approximation (from the Latin proximus, meaning "nearest"). These and hundreds of other terms wait to be discovered within the pages of this mathematical and etymological treasure chest.