Etymology
TEACHING DOCTORS
Have you ever wondered why individuals with non-medical degrees are referred to as doctors? This question sparked my curiosity and led me on a fascinating journey through history. The…
Your Trusted Source for Accurate and Timely Updates!
Popular News
Hurricane-Relief Camp in Western North Carolina Draws Volunteers From Around the Country
"Camp Unknown" is overseen by a local couple who witnessed an increase in citizen disaster…
Where Is Trump’s Plan To Cut Spending?
Former President Donald Trump was asked about the possibility of eliminating the federal income tax…
Texas Federal Judge Dismisses $847 Million Verdict Against Verizon for Patent Infringement
A federal judge in Texas has dismissed a previous $847 million verdict against Verizon alleging…
1 Person Killed and at Least 12 Wounded in Shooting at Oklahoma City Party
A tragic incident occurred at a party hosted at an event center in Oklahoma City,…
Latest Etymology
COMING TOWARD A PORT
When the term opportunity was first introduced into the English language in 1387, it was spelled oportunite, with other variations…
Bookworms, in etymology & entomology
Was the term "bookworm" inspired by the long, flat, grey insects that live in the bindings of old books as…
POGGERS
In recent years, the term poggers (or pog for short) has become popular among young people as an expression…
The Grammarphobia Blog: Wordle fancies: ‘bezel’ vs. ‘bevel’
Q: Recently, I came across the word “bezel” while playing Wordle. Upon researching it, I found that several definitions mentioned…
देवनागरी
The Devanagari script is an abugida used in India to express languages like Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi, and more. The word…
“Shark” Was a Word for a Terrible Person Before It Was the Name of the Animal – Useless Etymology
Note: This is an excerpt from my forthcoming book Words from Hell: Unearthing the darkest secrets of English etymology (Chambers, 2023).…
THE GENERAL IDEA
In elementary school, my third-grade teacher told me that the word gist (meaning "main idea") stood for general idea statement.…
Did you warsh behind your ears?
Q: Can you suss the pronunciation of “wash”? I’m from central Illinois and I forced myself as an adult to…