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Word History

Words of the Year: 1066

Why is pig meat called 'pork' and cow meat called 'beef?' Because English took on a big serving of French words following the Norman Conquest.


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play video title words of the year 1066
Words of the Year: 1066

 

English was never the same after the Norman Conquest

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What Is 'Semantic Bleaching'?

 

How 'literally' can mean "figuratively"

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Hot Mess

 

Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings

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Literally

 

A word that (literally) drives people nuts

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Ending a Sentence with a Preposition

 

An old-fashioned rule we can no longer put up with.

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Healthy vs. Healthful

 

Why both words are equally good for you.

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How a Word Gets into the Dictionary

 

What our editors are looking for when they enter words in Merriam-Webster.