etymology

Big Question

How Did Caesarean Sections Get Their Name?

Reader Alistair wrote in wondering about the supposed origins of C-Sections: “Was Julius Caesar really born this way and is it the origin of the medical procedure?”... READ ON

Big Question

Where Do the Words “Mom” and “Dad” Come From?

Reader Jack writes in to say, “I can’t for the life of me figure out where the term ‘Dad’ or its similar cousins like ‘Daddy’ or ‘Dada’ come from. What’s the deal with “dad” and why has it become so prevalent in our society?”... READ ON

Big Question

Where Did the Phrase “Dressed to the Nines” Come From?

After watching the new Justin Timberlake video, reader Katie Rose wrote in ask about the origins of “dressed to the nines.” Reader Donna wrote with the same question, though I don’t know what music videos she’s been watching. ... READ ON

Big Question

How Did "Jones" Come to Mean "Craving"?

Have you ever had a "Love Jones," or even a "Basketball Jones"? Do you occasionally jones for a “hot now” Krispy Kreme donut (only to find that store closed)? Did you know that when you use that terminology you are actually indulging in some (gasp) drug slang?... READ ON

History

7 Antiquated Illness Names and Their Meanings

Throughout the ages, people have hung some pretty weird names on what’s ailed them. Here are the monikers of a few of the more strangely-named illnesses, and how we know them today.... READ ON

List

7 Common Words With Little-Known Relatives

When some words hit the big time, they left clunky related words behind.... READ ON

Big Question

Why is a Fake Doctor Called a Quack?

Quack, in the sense of a medical impostor, is a shortening of the old Dutch quacksalver (spelled kwakzalver in the modern Dutch), which originally meant a person who cures with home remedies, and then came to mean one using false cures or knowledge.... READ ON

Big Question

Where Did the Phrase "Caught Red Handed" Come From?

Big Question

Why Did "The Ukraine" Become Just "Ukraine"?

Wikimedia CommonsUntil a few decades ago, Ukraine was almost always referred to as the Ukraine. Then people started dropping the definite article, and now you almost never see it. What gives?The the has stirred up a lot of strong resentment in Ukraine. The feeling is that the definite article’s heavy use during the era of the Soviet Union by Russians and Westerners alike belittled, intentionally or not, Ukrainians, and demoted Ukraine from a country unto itself to a mere Soviet holding, a border... READ ON