Word History

What is 'perfective done'?

An interesting facet of African American English

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

Old-fashioned ways to say "stupid"

Favorite Words From Foreign Languages

Karaoke, chutzpah, kerfuffle & more

14 English Words from Yiddish

Our little list is not the whole 'megillah'

17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Some borrowed words don't get returned

April Fools' Day: We Don't Know Its Origin

But be wary on April 1 anyway.

Regarding the Incorrect Use of 'Decimate'

Stop complaining about this word

Is it 'St. Patty's Day' or 'St. Paddy's Day'?

'In Vino Veritas' and Other Latin Phrases to Live By

Top 10 Latin Phrases

Triumph, Ovation, and Other Words from Ancient Rome

You'll love to hate these other words!

A Few Words on 'Toast'

A word with surprisingly literal origins

Words from Animals Quiz

The word tyke now means 'a small child' but what animal did it originally refer to? Answer 11 questions about words with animal origins.

How 'Way' Became a Word for 'Road'

Life is a highway

The History of 'Bodice'

For our romance readers

'Invest': Dress for Success

Button up that vest

'Infrastructure': A New Word from Old Roots

A solid word that's also flexible

The Piratical History of 'Filibuster'

It won't take long to read

An Illuminating History of 'Lite'

Shedding some light on it

'Speculate': Looking for a Profit

From seeing to imagining

Getting Up to Speed on (the History of) 'Speed'

"Godspeed," dear readers.

Why We Keep Things 'Platonic'

From ideals to friendships

A Reading Break on 'Laurel'

Rest on them, but not for too long

Where We Get 'Chanteys' (and 'Shanties')

Way hay and up she rises.

Taking a Walk with 'Pedestrian'

Nothing dull about a good stroll, right?

'Talented': That Vile and Barbarous Vocable

It was once a hotly contested adjective