The present book is the first volume of the Semitic Etymological Dic- tionary (henceforth SED), to be hopefully followed by seven more vo- lumes, provided the semantic principle of organization be retained: Vo- lume Two, Fauna (in an advanced stage of preparation, expected to appear in 2001); Volume Three, Basic Lexicon; Volume Four, Flora; Volume Five, Intellectual Culture and Society; Volume Six, Material Culture; Volume Seven, Ecology and Landscape; and Volume Eight, Verbal and Nominal Roots (those for various reasons not included in previous volumes). An additional volume will provide indices of the forms quoted in all these eight volumes, and a complete bibliography.