WORDS

13 Items Labeled “American” in Other Countries

America is a worldwide brand of sorts, but it doesn’t carry the same connotations everywhere.

Democracysausage, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 4.0

The Word of The Year In Australia Is "Democracy Sausage"

It comes from the more cheerful side of politics.

The Origins Behind 8 Star Wars Character and Species Names

Many of the names from a galaxy far, far away have their origins in the real world.

What Does 'Ms.' Stand For?

The title was made up as a way to avoid commenting on the marital status of a woman.

10 Sailor-Related Terms That Were Lost at Sea

Here’s a sampling of terms that went overboard. Be their lexical lifeboat.

10 Common Words We Don't Pronounce Like We Used To

As languages change, so do pronunciations.

Post-Truth Named Word of the Year By Oxford Dictionaries

It beat out "adulting" and "coulrophobia" (fear of clowns) for the distinction.

English-Yiddish Dictionary Breathes New Life Into a Historic Language

The "Comprehensive English-Yiddish Dictionary" is the first work of its kind to be published in nearly 50 years.

When Theodore Roosevelt Tried to Reform the English Language

He'd had enuf of the old way. Known for his uncompromising stance on many issues, in the early 1900s Roosevelt used the full power of his position to try to force through several hundred new spelling reforms.

15 Perfect Metaphors Hidden in Word Etymologies

It's human nature to conceive of abstract ideas through more immediate, concrete experiences—which is to say, through metaphors. Most of the words we have for abstract concepts began this way.

Why Do Criminals Go “On The Lam”?

Call us mint jelly ...

Who Wrote History's First Blurb?

And how did they get that name?

Bullet_Chained (monsters), AJWAD CREATIVE (SPEECH BUBBLE) // ISTOCK VIA GETTY IMAGES PLUS

13 Fiendish Etymologies for Halloween Monsters

On Halloween, witches and werewolves, ghosts and ghouls, and demons and devils stalk the streets for tricks or treats. But the real tricks and treats—at least for the horror-loving word nerds among us—might just be the strange and far-flung origins of the

How A Misinterpreted Anagram Predicted The Moons of Mars

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Why Do We Call General Knowledge “Trivia”?

Pull apart the word "trivia," and you’ll be left with two fairly familiar Latin roots.

Why Do We Call Weights "Bells"?

The Origin of the Word Slang Has Been Found

Let me put this right up front. The headline to this post is slightly misleading, but not dishonest.

10 Words with Hidden 'Shoe' Etymologies

By some accounts, the average person owns 19 pairs of shoes. But it’s not just our closets that are overflowing with sneakers, loafers, pumps, and wedges. It’s also our vocabulary.

Pigeons Can Distinguish Written Words From Nonsense

These common birds are masters of the four-letter word.

Most Languages Use the Same Sounds for Certain Words, Study Finds

Concepts like "nose" and "tongue" share some of the same sounds no matter what language you're listening to.

26 Unusual Plurals That Work Like "Attorneys General"

Some plurals work in unexpected ways.

Why Are Inferior Things Referred to as “Chopped Liver”?

The Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang pinpoints comedian Jimmy Durante as the first person to use this meaty metaphor.

What's the Difference Between Great Britain and the UK?

All over the world, people use the terms England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom interchangeably, even though they all mean different things.

20 Towns Named for Other Towns But Pronounced Differently

Here are 20 American towns that have really cut the cord from the sources of their names.

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