Words

Birth of Jesus Christ painting by Abraham Bloemaert (1566-1651)

Looking back at where the word “Christmas” came from and how it became popularized.

The word ‘yule’ gets thrown around a lot during the Christmas season, but what does it even mean? Well, like so many of the holiday’s traditions, its origins are a bit complex.

Ever wonder where slang terms like snafu, valley girl, and dumpster fire came from?

This has become a distinctly Christmastime saying.

Nobody will think you’re talking about baseball season, open season, or any other season. But why?

An open book with a magnifying glass and a speech bubble

Our languages vary, but we may not be that different after all. From the word “huh” to how we come up with the names of colors, here are five speech quirks that are nearly universal.

The English language is bursting with colorful expressions that come from strange and surprising places—and many of them once had literal meanings that the general public has long since forgotten.

’Tis the season to learn how to say “Merry Christmas” in many languages.

The phrase “rage bait” in a speech bubble

Defining terms highlighted by the Oxford English Dictionary and why they’re significant this year.

A speech bubble with the word “extenuating” in it

Think about it: have you ever heard someone say they had “extenuating errands”? These eight words are only used in a very specific context.

A speech bubble with the word “homely” in it

Think twice before responding if someone calls you one of these words.

Go with ‘goozlum’ instead of ‘gravy’ this Thanksgiving.

A smiley face balloon next to a speech bubble of the phrase “No worries!”

The history behind “no worries” and why the phrase became a favorite for millennials and Gen Z.

No, “gaudy” did not come from a famous architect with a similar-sounding name.

You might’ve heard it from your children or as Dictionary.com’s Word of the Year.

You wouldn’t think twice about these everyday habits and activities, but they weren’t always the norm.

Though widely shared on the internet and other places, these popular quotes weren’t actually spoken by who you might think they were.

A thought bubble of someone wondering what “fascism” means

Americans were interested in finding out definitions for words in political science, psychology, and science, among other topics.

The answer makes sense—once you get into some linguistic history.

This admittedly is probably not the No. 1 question on your mind—but we answer it anyways.

A woman on her phone in the streets of Paris

You know "LOL" and "FML," but what about other social media and text abbreviations? Here are the 10 that stump people the most.

No one did it like The Bard, so it’s no surprise that some myths about him and his writing have seeped into our culture over time. Let’s debunk some of the biggest ones.