Wordplay

Word History (page 2)

Was 'nervous Nellie' a Real Person?

Sort of!

Why do we call it 'ides of March'?

And should we beware?

The Origin of O'clock

The apostrophe that ate a whole word

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

Why not both?

What Does 'Wi-Fi' Really Mean?

It’s probably not what you think

Skibidi, Mog & More: Gen Alpha Slang

Skibidi! Mog!! Rizz!!!

Words That Turned 100 in 2025

Happy Birthday to our Centenarians

What does 'at large' mean?

A holdover of an ancient meaning

Much Ado about ‘Folie à deux’

From French psychiatry to the silver screen

Etymologies for Every Day of the Week

The sun, the moon, four gods, and a goddess.

Eavesdrop, Fiasco, and 8 More Words with Surprising Origins

Including some trivia on ‘trivia’

Funner, Stupider, and Other Words That Are in Fact Real

Don't argue with the dictionary

7 Run-Down Words That Have Seen Better Days

They've taken a hit but are still standing.

‘Fascism’: The Word’s Meaning and History

Why did Yankee Doodle call a feather 'macaroni'?

What's with his feathered cap?

'Dord': How a Non-Word Made it into the Dictionary

It once haunted our books.

'Piano': Its Name Is Only Half the Story

The soft and loud of it

Words with Lost Meanings

Some words just don't mean what they used to...

The Physical History of 'Stereotype'

From the printing house to everyone's house

'Pathetic': A History

An in-depth chronicle of inadequacy

'Shutdown': An Essential History

We're open for word business

14 Words Inspired by Dogs

A lexicographer's best friend

Compound Words That Used to Make a Lot More Sense

How 'jack' met 'pot.' How 'wed' met 'lock.'

7 Good Stories That Just Aren't True

No, that's not where that word comes from

Why do we say 'wear your heart on your sleeve'?

The answer may come from medieval jousts

The Hairy History of 'Sideburns'

Lousy general. Amazing hair.

8 Common Words with Military Origins

'Skedaddle', 'ginormous', and more

What does it mean to 'endorse' a presidential candidate?

It's kind of like "endorsing" a check

'Ganef,' 'Galoot,' and More Historical Slang Terms We Love

'Hella' is in hella good company

'Caucus': A Curious American Word

Caulkers? Caucauasu? C.A.U.C.U.S.?

How the Turkey Got Its Name

The strange global travels of America's favorite Thanksgiving meal

Egregious: Meaning and History

From Remarkably Good to Shockingly Bad

Is Being Called Tenacious a Good Thing?

The Definition of "Tenacious"

The Curious History of 'Filibuster'

The Curious History of "Filibuster"

10 Words You Don’t Seem to Hear as Much These Days

As chosen by you, the social media scroller!

How a Word For "Blood" Came to Mean "Optimistic"

The Odd History of "Sanguine"

Spam. A Lot of Spam.

How Spam Became Something On Your Phone, Not On Your Plate

Where does the word 'mayday' come from?

Mayday, May Day!

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language

"I bow to you"

April Fools' Day: We Don't Know Its Origin

But be wary on April 1 anyway.

Back to School Vocabulary

Word lookups that spike in September

Does 'handsome' only describe men?

On 'Awesome'

An extraordinary, terrific word

9 Christmas Words with Surprising Histories

There's no bread in 'gingerbread'

A Few Words on 'Toast'

A word with surprisingly literal origins

Why is there no 'n' in 'restaurateur'?

Making a meal out of it

6 Words Whose Abstract Meanings Came First

From conceptual to concrete

How 'Way' Became a Word for 'Road'

Life is a highway

You Don't Know 'Jack'

But we do

The History of 'Bodice'

For our romance readers

'Invest': Dress for Success

Button up that vest

'Infrastructure': A New Word from Old Roots

A solid word that's also flexible

The Piratical History of 'Filibuster'

It won't take long to read

An Illuminating History of 'Lite'

Shedding some light on it

'Speculate': Looking for a Profit

From seeing to imagining

Getting Up to Speed on (the History of) 'Speed'

"Godspeed," dear readers.

Why We Keep Things 'Platonic'

From ideals to friendships

A Reading Break on 'Laurel'

Rest on them, but not for too long

Where We Get 'Chanteys' (and 'Shanties')

Way hay and up she rises.

Taking a Walk with 'Pedestrian'

Nothing dull about a good stroll, right?

Words From 1921: 100 Years Old and Still Around

From goons to abominable snowmen

'Talented': That Vile and Barbarous Vocable

It was once a hotly contested adjective

'Tally' and 'Tabulate': It All Adds Up

However you count it

What is a 'Pyrrhic victory'?

It'll cost you nothing to read.

A Brief History of the 'Task Force'

Our objective is clear.

Talking Turkey On 'Gobble'

And how the bird got its nickname

'Avoid Like the Plague': A History

Heading straight toward its origins

The Story Behind 'First Lady'

Always second to none.

'Internecine': A History

A mistake that stuck

The History of 'Ballot'

Where your vote comes from

'Cordial': A Word Straight from the Heart

Whereas 'coronary' is not so much

A Brief on 'Squadron' and 'Squad'

By land, sea, or air

Keeping Watch on 'Surveil'

Keeping tabs on a back-formation.

Read This 'Posthaste'

For when you need it there quickly

A Briefing on the 'College' in 'Electoral College'

Why 'college' anyway?

Powering Up the History of 'Blackout'

It's electric

The Versatility of ‘Tele-’

The combining form we need now more than ever.

The Questionable Origin of 'Quiz'

A tall tale and a word history

Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble: On ‘Kettling’

A police tactic that puts some in hot water.

'Precedented' and 'Unprecedented' Times

Are there "precedented" times?

A Trick for Dealing with Summer Heat: Estivate

It’s like hibernating, but warmer.

'Pigeonhole': A History

Do pigeons ever live in them?

'Temperament' and 'Temperature': Former Synonyms

Latin brought them together

‘Pushing the Envelope’: Don’t Mail It In

The outer limits of an idiom.

'Party': A Word for One or Many

A party can be any size.

A Short History of 'Curfew'

Sounding the bell for etymology

The Sinister Origins of 'Fascinate'

It'll hold you spellbound.

On the History of 'cc' and 'bcc'

We're copying you on this.

What is a ‘bleeding heart’?

From the blood sport of politics.

Burrowing into 'Groundhog Day'

And a bit into 'Candlemas'

How 'Mean' Became Nasty

It was a perfectly nice word for centuries

An Analysis of 'Dream'

We interpret its history.

The (Not Always) Cheery History of 'Cheer'

To your health

Is 'Positively' Positively Legal?

When there's 'positively' none of something

The True Story of 'Realize' and 'Realise'

Two spellings, an ocean apart

'Cliché': We’ve Heard It All Before

A word for something you want to avoid

Casting Light on 'Angel'

A word for a messenger (hopefully bringing good news)

'Trick or Treat': A History

Candy, costumes, and divine mischief

The Mythical Origins of 'Terminator'

How an ancient stone's name lives on

The Disputed Origins of the 'Egg Cream'

A deliciously mysterious history

At the Root of ‘Cubicle’

On the shape of office politics

Registering the Politics of 'Register'

We hope it registers with you.

Scratching the Surface of ‘From Scratch’

Out of nothing comes something.

'Cotemporary': The Archaic 'Contemporary'

Spelling variants are fossils of language

Is the word 'freshman' going out of style?

On the rise of first-year alternatives

Where does 'run-of-the-mill' come from?

A top-of-the-line history

Following 'Suit' from the Court to the Closet

A tale of court, clothing, and cards

Mapping Out the Naming of 'America'

Columbus had nothing to do with it
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