Language Families

Gaelic Gold: Timeless Irish Proverbs

Discover the soul of the Irish language through its "seanfhocail", or ancient proverbs. These timeless words of wisdom offer more…

3 months ago

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…

3 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…

3 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…

3 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…

3 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.…

3 months ago

Aesopian Language: The Dissident’s Secret Code

Discover Aesopian language, the subtle art of embedding subversive messages in seemingly innocent writing. Born from the need to outsmart…

3 months ago

The Copiale Cipher: A Society’s Secret Rituals

For over 250 years, the Copiale Cipher baffled historians with its mix of abstract symbols and Roman letters. When linguists…

3 months ago

The Great Cipher of Louis XIV

For over 200 years, the secrets of France's Sun King, Louis XIV, were locked away in a fiendishly complex code…

3 months ago

Verlan: The Real-Time Cipher of Paris

Ever heard a conversation in Paris that sounded like garbled French? You've likely encountered Verlan, a spoken 'cipher' that inverts…

3 months ago

This website uses cookies.