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To live inside the English language, I need the help of my two favorite dictionaries: The Oxford English Dictionary (or OED) and the American Heritage Dictionary (or AHD). For me, these two lexicons offer the history of our language at my fingertips, with the OED showing me where English has been and the AHD where it's headed.

It was from the OED that I first learned, to my shock and delight, that the words "grammar" and "glamour" were related. It was 1971 when a professor sent us on a language scavenger hunt so we could get our hands on that 12-volume dictionary based upon historical principles. (I own a two-volume microprint edition; the four volume Supplement to the OED brings it up to date; and a digital version is available online by subscription.)

Here's what is meant by "a dictionary based on historical principles": Along with spelling, definitions,  pronunciations, and parts of speech, the OED -- thanks to the work of thousands upon thousands of volunteers collecting millions upon millions of literary citations -- provides the word hunter with examples of how and when a word came to be used in the English language.

So what? So let's say the president of the United States uses the word "crusade" to build support for an American war against fanatics in the Middle East. You have a gut feeling this is not a wise word for the president to use, but you are not sure why. You decide to write about it, but first things first. As my mentor Don Fry would command: "Look it up in the OED!"

Here's what you would find: The earliest known use of the word "crusade" in English appears in a historical chronicle dated 1577 and refers to the holy wars waged by European Christians in the Middle Ages "to recover the Holy Land from the Mohammedans." Thirty years later, the word expands to define "any war instigated and blessed by the Church." By 1786 the word is being used even more broadly to describe any "aggressive movement or enterprise against some public evil." As luck would have it, the first known use is expressed by a President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, who in 1786 encouraged a correspondent to "Preach, my dear Sir, a crusade against ignorance."

Move forward in history to 2001 when President George W. Bush promises a "crusade" against fanatics who attacked the United States on 9/11. Those terrorists happened to be Islamic extremists waging their own jihad or holy war against American and European forces they call "the crusaders." Perhaps you will justify the president's use of "crusade" by citing Jefferson's secular example. Or perhaps you will cite the dangers of unintentionally evoking a dangerous historical precedent marked with a cross, the symbol of the crusaders.

Ten minutes of such language research lays a foundation upon which to build an argument.

So what about glamour and grammar? One of the most famous of the OED's volunteer word explorers was J.R.R. Tolkien, the great medieval scholar and author of "Lord of the Rings." In a song that appears in the Ring Trilogy, Tolkien wrote "Of glamoury he tidings heard" (He heard news of magic). In a study of Tolkien's language, "Ring of Words," the authors reveal the influence of OED learning upon all of Tolkien's scholarly and imaginative writing:

"Glamoury ('occult knowledge, magic, necromancy') ... is a relatively modern word (the first example in the OED files is from a Scots poem of 1811), adapted from glamour ... which the OED suggests may be due to the influence of a related word, gramarye. The connection between magic and grammar is perhaps not instantly obvious to the modern reader."

Not obvious, indeed. Evan Morris, editor and publisher of "The Word Detective," leads us through the maze:

"'Glamour' and 'grammar' are essentially the same word. In classical Greek and Latin, 'grammar'... covered the whole of arts and letters, i.e. higher knowledge in general. In the Middle Ages, 'grammar' was generally used to mean 'learning,' which at the time included, at least in the popular imagination, a knowledge of magic.

"The narrowing of 'grammar' to mean the rules of language was a much later development ... Meanwhile, 'grammar' had percolated into Scottish English ... where an 'l' was substituted for an 'r' and the word eventually became 'glamour,' used to mean ... knowledge of magic and spells."

We can trace these interesting associations in reverse chronology, beginning with our common understanding that a "glamourous" celebrity, say Marilyn Monroe, was considered charming and enchanting, as if a magical aura surrounded her. Physical beauty connects back to the language of magic. As we travel back in time, we see that the understanding of magical knowledge is not distinguished from other forms of scholarly learning. The Latin scholar knows the secrets of turning words and sounds into meaning. The necromancer must learn the hocus pocus that creates powerful effects that we now call magic.

Here's how the AHD handles the word "glamour" in the modern context:

glamour also glamor: 1. n. an air of compelling charm, romance, and excitement, especially when delusively alluring. 2. Archaic. a magic spell; enchantment. [Scots, magic spell, alteration of Grammar (from the association of learning with magic).]

The AHD contributes this bit of practical advice: "Many words, such as honor, vapor, and labor, are usually spelled with an --or ending in American English but with an --our ending in British English. The preferred spelling of glamour, however, is --our, making it an exception to the American practice.  The adjective is more often spelled glamorous in both American and British usage."

Exercise: When Don Fry and I wrote a book called "Coaching Writers," we were puzzled by this question: Is there a relationship between the word "coach," meaning an old-time vehicle of transportation, and the word "coach," meaning an athletic trainer, teacher, or tutor? Look it up in the OED!

Next time: Hey, kids, got a grammar or usage problem? Let's take a vote!

[Do you have any examples to share of the value of using the Oxford English Dictionary?]