Word for Word

Peter Mark Roget’s Thesaurus was the creation of an obsessive list-maker that became a tool and a temptation for generations of writers.

British physician Peter Mark Roget (1779–1869), best known for his ‘Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases’, published in 1852. Original Publication: From a drawing by E U Eddis — Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images

By Ben Zimmer

I can see my own copy up on a high shelf.
I rarely open it, because I know there is no
such thing as a synonym and because I get nervous
around people who always assemble…