This dictionary provides a systematic analysis of Russian word derivations, describing the etymology of 1500 central words in the language.

In the introduction, the author traces the development of Russian vocabulary and focuses on factors that have affected semantic and lexical change. In the main part of the book, a typical entry gives the present meaning of the word, the dates of the first appearance in the language and of subsequent meaning changes, and details of orthographical, phonetic and social factors that have affected its development. Cognate words in Russian and other languages help to place each word in its linguistic context.

The dictionary is designed to be user-friendly, facilitating the task of learning vocabulary and raising the language awareness of students. It presents an interesting anaylsis of word derivation at the same time as revealing factors that affect lexical development and establishing links with other languages.