ETYMOLOGY

There’s no doubt about it—rotting food is gross.

How Did ‘Gross’ Become a Term of Disgust?

The word ‘gross,’ which came to English from French, took on a variety of senses in English related to size. But the ‘gross of today is different from the ‘gross’ of the past thanks to teens.

Why Is an Informant Called a ‘Stool Pigeon‘?

Pigeons aren’t known to be particularly talkative birds.

‘The Nightmare’ by Henry Fuseli, circa 1871. Frame has been added.

13 Names for the Sleep Paralysis Demon from Around the World

Take a look at these 13 names from across the world that describe sleep paralysis and the demon once believed to cause it.

Use of the word ‘placebo’ in a medical context is more recent than you might think.

Why Is It Called the “Placebo Effect”?

What is a placebo? Technically, a Latin phrase meaning ‘I will please.’ It’s also a Catholic prayer and a clever insult.

Even words that don’t seem scary might have spooky origins.

10 Common Words With Spooky Etymologies

Ghosts, ghouls, and monsters turn up everywhere at Halloween—including in our language, and sometimes where you least expect.

The OED features 600,000 words over a thousand years of the English language.

13 Fascinating Facts About the Oxford English Dictionary

It took more than 70 years and tons of volunteer labor to create “the definitive record of the English language”—including an assist from a murderer. Get to know the Oxford English Dictionary better.

The Surprisingly Long History of the Word ‘Yo’

The word ‘yo’ was around long before Rocky movies and rap songs.

Koalas Aren’t Bears, So Why Do People Call Them “Koala Bears”?

If you were an 18th-century settler in Australia with no knowledge of marsupials, you just might decide to call a koala a ‘bear,’ right?

‘Boo’ didn’t originate as a ghostly saying.

Why Do Ghosts Say “Boo”?

If linguistics is any indicator, it would appear that everybody in the spirit realm speaks Scots English.

Why Are Unidentified People Called John or Jane Doe?

From the courts to the morgue, if the government doesn't know someone's name or wants to withhold it, they give them one of these as a placeholder. Why?

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.

‘Fuksheet’ is another word for a sail on the foremast of a ship.

50 Words That Sound Dirty But Actually Aren’t

To paraphrase Krusty the Clown, comedy isn’t dirty words—it’s words that sound dirty. Here are 50 of them.

The origins and history of the word ‘cakewalk’ may make you want to reconsider using it.

The Racist Origins of 7 Common Phrases

From ‘cakewalk’ to ‘no can do,’ the origins of these common idioms and sayings are surprisingly dark.

Technically this exact phrasing wasn't in play until the 20th century.

The Origins of 6 Classic Curse Words

Many bad words come and go, but these six have withstood the tests of time. Here’s how they came to be.

Why Does ‘Of Course’ Mean ‘Yes’?

‘Of course’ is one of the most versatile ‘yes’ synonyms we have. But what does it actually mean?

This kitten is experiencing awe in the traditional sense of the word.

19 Words That Used to Mean Something Negative

Sometimes words move up in the world. Their meanings change with time, becoming more positive—a process linguists call amelioration.

The words 'galaxy' and 'lactose' have a surprising connection.

Linguistic Siblings: 9 Pairs of Words With Surprisingly Shared Etymologies

The connections between words aren’t always as straightforward as the link between run and runner; often, figuring them out requires the subtle unraveling of linguistic evolution, the kind of detective work that makes etymology so fascinating.

Where does this literary device come from, and why is it named after a fish?

Where Did the Phrase 'Red Herring' Come From?

The figurative phrase is more than 200 years old, but the obscure etymology of a 'red herring' is a fishy story that is itself a red herring.

Ever wonder what you're supposed to be minding when your mind your p's and q's?

What Exactly Are Your P’s and Q’s?

Does it have to do with pea coats? Or maybe Latin scribes?

The Interesting Etymologies of 71 Everyday Words

Here’s (at least) one interesting way station each of these common words made on its journey to the present day, whether it’s an analysis of the Latin roots, a hypothesis about a proto-Indo-European origin, or a pivotal change in meaning.

This isn't as tough as the whole chicken-and-egg conundrum.

What Came First: The Color Orange or the Fruit?

The story behind which orange came first involves Arab trade routes and a bunch of old phrases that mean 'orange apple.'

When you're shopping at a flea market, have you ever stopped to wonder how it came by that name?

Why Are Flea Markets Called That?

It’s another in a long line of etymologies that doesn’t have one clear-cut answer, but a few plausible (and interesting) possible explanations.

What Exactly Is a ‘Real Doozy’?

It’s delightfully old-timey slang we still use today. But does it have anything to do with the Duesenberg cars of the 1920s?

Movie-goers prepare to be entertained in 1935.

Why Do We Refer to Movies as “The Silver Screen”?

The origin of the phrase ‘silver screen’ is less about movies and more about how people watched them in the good old days.