Wordplay: For the Love of Language | Merriam-Webster

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The Longest Long Words List

21 words with 21 letters or more

Where does 'curiosity killed the cat' come from?

No cats were harmed in the making of this idiom

9 Other Words for Beautiful

Here are some additional words for calling something lovely

The Words of the Week - May 8

Lookups from war, holidays, and Alcatraz

Was 'nervous Nellie' a real person?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

We just can’t bananaquit them

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

We’ve seen fire, we’ve seen rain, and we have many words for them

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

And why isn't it 'bury the lead'?

Word Choices

Gabrielle Zevin

Emily Flake

New Yorker Cartoonist

Celeste Ng

Eli Cymet

Video Game Writer/Producer, Cuphead

Emma Straub

Novelist and Children’s Book Author

Arts & Culture

Ten Kinds of Happiness

Joyful words from around the world

17 Words for Dog Breeds

If you love dogs and words, you’re barking up the right tree

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

… Ready for them?

8 Delicious Words with Inedible Meanings

Which one is the apple of your eye?

'Gaslighting,' 'Woke,' 'Democracy,' and Other Top Lookups

We know you're going to look these up

Foreign

'In Vino Veritas' and Other Latin Phrases to Live By

Top 10 Latin Phrases

10 of Our Favourite British Words

Please don't whinge about being knackered, you prat.

Digging Up the Latin Roots of 14 Abbreviations

Beyond 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

All About Latin Plurals

Check your dictionary

Skunk, Bayou, and Other Words with Native American Origins

You've used more than you might think

Games & Hobbies

Why Is the Sport Called ‘Pickleball’?

The origin story is clearer than most sports

A Player's Guide to 'Q' without 'U' Words

Remember this and win.

Why 'Love' Means "Nothing"

In tennis. This is about tennis.

8 Prohibition-Era Words

From bathtub gin to the blind pig

The Scoop on 'The Proof Is in the Pudding'

A delicious question

Science & Nature

Fruit vs. Vegetable

Are you sure you know which is what?

7 Especially Fitting Common Names for Plants

So you don't mix up your Swiss Cheese plants with your Dutchman's Breeches

12 Words for Signs of Spring

Spring is springing

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Words for uncommon fears

7 Luscious, Fruit-Based Idioms

For a touch of sweetness or acidity

Word History

Why do we call it 'ides of March'?

And should we beware?

Why do we say 'make a beeline'?

Yes, it does involve bees

When do we paint the town red?

It may have begun with a literal paint job (but probably didn’t)

Surprising Words from the 1920s

Robots, "Atom Bombs," and "Rocket Ships" Were All Born in the Jazz Age

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

Heads up: one is 'vulgar'