word blog

It seems to be a common misconception that the first word in the dictionary is "aardvark." This is, of course, untrue; the first ...

This word has been on my mind recently, as I have been preparing a speech on the Church of the Subgenius, so I decided to check up on its et...

I really just like this word. I came across it recently studying for a sociology exam and it stood out among all of the technical jargon. Th...

According to the AHD, "kosher" means "conforming to dietary laws; ritually pure." It has also come to mean, in the slan...

Alchemy is defined as "1) A medieval chemical philosophy having as its asserted aims the transmutation of base metals into gold, the di...

Coming directly from Greek, hoi polloi literally means "the masses [of people]", according to both the AHD and OED. The usage ...

Children usually learn this noun with direct reference to “any of various extinct, often gigantic, chiefly terrestrial reptiles of the order...

So while looking for words for my culinary alphabet, I found this word and thought that it was amazing! It can be written both capitalized o...

The OED gives these definitions for mellifluous : 1) "Flowing with, exuding, or containing honey or a honey-like substance; of the natu...

Put another nickel in, in the nickelodeon. All I want is having you and music, music, music! If you’re expecting me to wax nostalgic about ...

I am a left-handed person, and was interested in the etymology of the term "south paw."  When I looked it up in the AHD, it gave m...

Anybody watch Lost? Hostile comes from the Latin hostīlis, from hostis meaning enemy. Hostile can be a noun or an adjective. As a noun a ho...

To scent is, when used figuratively, "to perceive as if by smell; to find out instinctively; to detect." When used transitively it...

Our AHD defines the word affirmation as, "Something declared to be true; a positive statement or judgment." For this words etymolo...

Babble is defined by the OED as a verb meaning: 1. To make imperfect attempts at speech, like a child; to utter inarticulate or indistinct ...

Another compound word! I love to do these types of words because they are usually very fun to say. This one is, according to the AHD, an a...

Kayak or Kaiak , is an "Inuit or Eskimo boat consisting of a light wooden frame with watertight skins except for a single double openin...

According to the AHD  faint  may be used as an adjective, a noun, or as an intransitive verb.  Faint as an adjective may describe something ...

Concerning the Myrmidons Hesiod speaks thus: `And she conceived and bare Aeacus, delighting in horses. Now when he came to the full measure...

Doesn't the word rat-fink send an image of greasy man in a shady pawn shop who has his hair slicked back? I definitely get this image wh...

So I actually stumbled across nightingale 's etymology while looking up the etymology for the word yell , and I thought it was so inter...

I decided to find out how this color earned its name. The answer, as it turns out, is provided in its definition: chartreuse is "a pale...

We call it a slash, that separating mark in and/or or he/she . But it has a better name: it's a virgule . Virgule comes to us from ...

It is, perhaps, four hours late to be wishing everyone a happy Eater, but I'll go ahead anyway. Happy Easter! According to the AHD, the...

My favorite flower is the daisy, and lately I find myself doodling all over my notebooks and papers the image of a daisy. The OED defines a ...

During an episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus, one of the characters used the word poppycock. This wasn't the first time I had h...

What a fun word to say! I love little gems like this one. It is interesting to note that this is a new word, it came into existence in Oct...

I really wanted to use "computer" as my word, but unfortunately could not find any information on its etymology in the AHD. Theref...

The OED defines the word sacrosanct as, "Of persons and things, esp. obligation, laws, etc.: Secured by a religious sanction from viola...

Today I was watching a recording of my favorite television show Ed . In episode 52 "Trapped," Phil and Eli are playing Scrabble w...

Ah, how excited I was to see that this wonderful word had not yet been taken! So, have you ever wondered where those fine people at Google g...

The AHD defines louse as a noun meaning: 1. pl lice Any of numerous small wingless insects of the orders Mallophaga or Anoplura, many of wh...

This tasty dairy product, also spelled yoghurt or yoghourt , is “ n . A custardlike tart-flavored food prepared from milk curdled from bact...

Embezzle is a verb that means "To take (money, for example) for one's own use in violation of a trust." It's etymological ...

We already know that "candle" (Old English: candel) comes from the Latin word candere , to shine. It ultimately comes from the Ind...

While this word is relatively recent in comparison with many of the other words we look at, considering it was first seen in about 1640, it ...

"Coriander" is defined as " an aromatic Eurasian herb ( Coriandrum sativum ) , in the parsley family, and is cultivated for ...

I get knocked down, but I get up again; you’re never gonna’ keep me down! When I saw this phrase, I knew I had to write a post about it. Ma...

I just think the word feral sounds beautiful. There is no real story as to why I like it other than it sounds pretty. According to the AHD ...

The AHD defines essence as: 1)The intrinsic or indispensable properties that characterize or identify something 2)The most important ingredi...

Oxford English Dictionary lists the definition as "The action or habit of estimating as worthless." According to the OED, floccina...

It's springtime, folks, and with the warmer temperatures, people are breaking out the warmer weather clothes, and with the warmer weathe...

A lovely noun that came to us in Middle English,  a   Flibbertigibbet is "a silly, scatterbrained, or garrulous person" (AHD). And...

You all know the song that Vanilla Ice ripped off of Queen's "Under Pressure." And if you know that pop culture reference, yo...