Editing Allen Walker Read (section)

{{Short description|American etymologist and folklorist}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Allen Walker Read
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1906|06|02}}
| death_date         = {{Birth date|2002|10|16}}
| nationality        = American
| education          = University of Northern Iowa (B.A)
University of Iowa (M.A.)
Oxford University (Rhodes Scholarship, D.Litt.)
| occupation         = Etymologist, lexicographer
}}
'''Allen Walker Read''' (June 2, 1906 – October 16, 2002) was an American [[etymologist]] and [[lexicographer]]. Born in Minnesota, he spent much of his career as a professor at [[Columbia University]] in New York. Read's work ''Classic American Graffiti'' is well regarded in the study of [[latrinalia]] and obscenity. His etymological career included his discovery of the origin of the word "[[OK]]", a longtime puzzle, and his scholarly study of the history and use of the common English vulgarity "[[fuck]]."