The Dictionary of Lost Words (Book) - Nomi's Pics

Naomi Weisman is a Canadian-Australian and mother of three, who loves to Ramble with her dog, cook for family and friends, and laugh whenever possible.

I grew up in a household where words were treasured like family heirlooms. My mom, an ardent feminist, taught me to view the world through a lens of equality and justice. My father and the rest of my family—writers and word-lovers all—taught me to savour language, to delight in its quirks, and to use unfamiliar words whenever it made sense to.

Sunday dinners at my parents’ table often became a game of “guess the word.” We’d toss newly discovered words into conversation, share their definitions, and debate their usage. I vividly remember one evening when my father, mid-story, casually slipped in the word loquacious. The rest of us exchanged looks that said, “Sure, Dad—way to show off.” Now, decades later, when I drop an unfamiliar word into conversation, my kids give me that same bemused, eyebrow-raised look. What a full-circle moment!

At the heart of The Dictionary of Lost Words lies the creation of the first Oxford English Dictionary—a monumental project that sought to catalogue the entire English language. But as Williams shows us, the compilers’ view of “proper” English was shaped by class, gender, and education.

Words used by women, the working class, or those outside the social elite were often dismissed as slang, vulgar, or unworthy of preservation. In other words, the OED was as much a reflection of power as it was of language, and countless words slipped through the cracks.

Reading The Dictionary of Lost Words felt like a warm hug from my parents. Pip Williams has crafted a novel that honours the overlooked, the discarded, and the ordinary words—the ones that never made it into the “official” record because they belonged to people without social power at the turn of the 20th century. It’s a quiet act of rebellion against linguistic gatekeeping and a love letter to the vocabulary of the working class, women, and the marginalized.

For me, it was more than just a beautifully told historical novel—it was a reminder that language shapes our reality, and when we lose certain words, we risk losing the stories, perspectives, and lives they represent. Williams gives those lost words—and the people who spoke them—a voice again.

If you love language, history, or simply believe that every voice matters, this book will speak to you. And maybe, just maybe, it will inspire you to slip a few forgotten words into your own Sunday dinners.

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