author
Ernst Wasserzieher
1860–1927
A German etymologist and lexicographer, he wrote lively books that helped general readers explore where words come from and how German developed. His work moves between scholarship and popular language writing, with a clear fascination for the history hidden inside everyday speech.
1 Audiobook
Von Haparanda bis San Francisco: Reise-Erinnerungen
by Ernst Wasserzieher
About the author
Born in Stettin on May 15, 1860, Ernst Wasserzieher became known as a German etymologist and lexicographer. He studied philosophy in Leipzig and Jena, and later worked in education, eventually serving as an Oberlyzealdirektor.
Alongside dictionary and reference work, he published accessible books on language and word origins for a broader public. Titles associated with him include Woher?, Leben und Weben der Sprache, Schlechtes Deutsch, and Hans und Grete, showing his long-running interest in etymology, usage, and the history of German.
He died in Halberstadt on April 21, 1927. Although not widely known outside German-language reference circles today, his books remained useful enough to be reprinted, and they still offer a window into how earlier scholars explained the life of words.