Etymology

The People Who Became Words: A Guide to Eponyms

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

4 months ago

The Two-Faced Word: Janus and ‘January’

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

4 months ago

‘Sinister’: The Left-Handed Insult

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

4 months ago

The Sound of a Kiss: Etymology of ‘XOXO’

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

4 months ago

The Mathematical Wordhoard

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

4 months ago

Words Born From Blunders

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

4 months ago

Decoding ‘Quarantine’: A Plague’s Linguistic Legacy

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

4 months ago

Warden & Guardian: A Tale of Two Words

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

4 months ago

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

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

4 months ago

Days of the Week: Why is Monday ‘Segunda-Feira’?

Ever wondered why Monday in Portuguese is 'segunda-feira', or 'second-fair'? This unique numbered system isn't random; it's rooted in a…

4 months ago

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