John Kelly

Joined: May 20, 2016

21 Alternative Words for ‘Fool’ (And Their Origins)

The Delicious Origins of 18 Summer Fruit Names

11 Game Names and Their Fun-Filled Origins

Impress your green-thumbed friends with your knowledge of flower names.

The Fascinating Origins of 12 Beautiful Flower Names

Know the origins of the names of your favorite Fall foods.

20 Fall Harvest Words and Their Origins

Fall is here, and you're getting hungry. Feast on this cornucopia of etymologies for seasonal veggies straight from the garden.

How 35 Languages Say the Word 'Hiccup'

If we listen across the globe, we’ll hear all sorts of gasping H's and gulping K's, so much so that it almost seems like there’s a universal word for hiccup. Except there are some surprising, er, hiccups along the way.

12 Hats And How They Got Their Names

Sun hats, floppy hats, baseball caps, bucket hats: It’s easy to guess where the names of these hats come from. But what about fedoras, trilbies, and other headwear we’re donning this days?

15 Subatomic Word Origins

The names for many of the dozens of particles that make up the universe—as well as a few that are still purely theoretical—come from ancient Greek.

16 Latin Question Words Hiding in the English Language

In the vocabulary of English, quis, quid, and ubi—meaning who, what, and where in Latin—are everywhere.

11 Boozy Word Origins

Let’s reach into the etymological cooler and crack open the origins of some everyday booze names.

23 Slang Terms You Only Understand if You Work in Antarctica

Antarctica has developed a lingo all its own.

The Multi-Faceted Origins of 12 Birthstone Names

Their etymologies, unearthed.

24 Fantastic Frequentative Words And Where They Come From

If sniffle comes from sniff and chatter comes from chat, where do fizzle, waddle, and flutter come from?

14 Articles of Clothing Named After Places

Many common articles of clothing and general fashion terms have surprising geographic roots.

15 Words With Origins So Obvious You Never Noticed Them

The origins of these words are hiding right under your nose.

15 Abstract Thinking Words With Concrete Etymological Roots

How would you explain what it means to think? This act, though central to our very humanity, is an incredibly abstract process. Behind many of our thinking words, however, are some concrete Latin etymologies, and they show how we like to understand our me