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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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Webster's Dictionary of 1864

 

The landmark edition that transformed the way dictionaries are made.

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Why is there a 'd' in 'fridge' but not in 'refrigerator'?

 

Thawing one of the mysteries of English

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How to Remember the Spelling of 'Definitely'

 

A definitive answer.

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Some Odd Words with ISMO: "People Tipping"

 

Comedian ISMO on the complexities of the word 'tip'

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How a Word Gets into the Dictionary

 

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

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How Do You Pronounce 'Groceries'?

 

Is there one standard way?

Games & Quizzes

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Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
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Blossom Pick the best words!
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The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
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Quiz: Are You An Idiom Expert? Figure out what these figures of speech actually ...
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