author
Walter W. (Walter William) Skeat
1835–1912
A pioneering scholar of English language history, he helped turn philology and etymology into subjects that reached far beyond specialist circles. His work on Chaucer, Old and Middle English, and word origins made him one of the most influential language scholars of Victorian Britain.
3 Audiobooks
A Concise Dictionary of Middle English from A.D. 1150 to 1580
by A. L. (Anthony Lawson) Mayhew, Walter W. (Walter William) Skeat
English Dialects From the Eighth Century to the Present Day
by Walter W. (Walter William) Skeat
A glossary of Tudor and Stuart words, especially from the dramatists
by Walter W. (Walter William) Skeat
About the author
Born in London in 1835, Walter William Skeat became one of the leading British philologists of his era. He studied at Christ's College, Cambridge, later taught there, and went on to serve as Professor of Anglo-Saxon. He was also an Anglican deacon, though his lasting reputation rests on his scholarship.
Skeat is especially remembered for his work on the history of English words and texts. He edited major works by Geoffrey Chaucer, studied Old and Middle English in depth, and compiled an influential etymological dictionary that helped generations of readers understand where English vocabulary comes from.
What makes his writing still appealing is its sense of curiosity: he treated language as something alive, shaped by time, travel, and everyday use. For listeners interested in word history, medieval literature, or the roots of modern English, his books open a clear path into subjects that can otherwise feel distant.