The People Who Became Words: A Guide to Eponyms

2 weeks ago

From 'boycott' to 'sandwich', our language is full of words that were once people's names. This fascinating guide to eponyms…

The Two-Faced Word: Janus and ‘January’

2 weeks ago

The first month of the year is named after Janus, the two-faced Roman god of beginnings and transitions. More than…

‘Sinister’: The Left-Handed Insult

2 weeks ago

The word 'sinister' conjures images of evil, but its origins are far more mundane: it's simply the Latin word for…

The Sound of a Kiss: Etymology of ‘XOXO’

2 weeks ago

Ever wondered why 'X' means kiss? The answer is a fascinating journey back to the Middle Ages, where illiterate citizens…

The Mathematical Wordhoard

2 weeks ago

We think of mathematics as a universal language, but its vocabulary tells a surprisingly human story of global exchange. From…

Words Born From Blunders

2 weeks ago

Discover the secret history of everyday words like 'nickname' and 'apron', which were born from simple mistakes. This post explores…

Decoding ‘Quarantine’: A Plague’s Linguistic Legacy

2 weeks ago

The word 'quarantine', a term that defined our recent global experience, is a direct linguistic fossil of the Black Death.…

Warden & Guardian: A Tale of Two Words

2 weeks ago

Have you ever wondered why 'warden' and 'guardian' mean almost the same thing? These 'etymological twins' tell a fascinating story…

Anatomy of a Curse: The History of the F-Word

2 weeks ago

Forget the myths about kings and archers; the true origin of the F-word is rooted deep in the Germanic forests.…

Gossip, Lies & Survival: The Social Brain

2 weeks ago

We're often told language evolved to help us hunt mammoths, but what if its true purpose was more strategic—and a…

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