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Word History

The History of 'Cynic'

How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.


How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.

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The History of 'Cynic'

 

How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.

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How a Ghost Word Appeared in the Dictionary

 

An imaginary word that snuck into the dictionary

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Sneaked vs. Snuck

 

How the irregular 'snuck' sneaked into the dictionary

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Is It 'Attorney Generals' Or 'Attorneys General'?

 

'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.

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On Contractions of Multiple Words

 

You all would not have guessed some of these

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Webster's Dictionary of 1864

 

The landmark edition that transformed the way dictionaries are made.