30 Essential Medical Terms For Bodily Functions
The next time you hear a doctor utter something in Latin, pay close attention, as after reading this article, you may understand what it means.
The MOST Shocking False Etymologies in English
If a word's history sounds too good, it probably is.
These Common Words Began as Mistakes - Unbelievable!
Some spelling and grammar mistakes change a student’s grade for the worse, others transform the language forever.
These Age-Old Idioms Date Back to the Renaissance!
The expressions listed here all sound contemporary, but they're almost half a millennium old.
When GH Says F: Why Does This Occur?
We're meeting up on the corner of history and linguistics to learn why GH is pronounced as F.
How Come the Word Football Describes Two Different Games?
Learn about the origins of the word soccer and find out how it's related to rugby.
11 English Words You Didn't Know Were Actually Spanish!
Learn about the Spanish etymology of 11 words in American English (and a bonus at the end!)
How Did the World's Continents Get Their Names?
Have you ever wondered how the world's continents got their names?
Where Did Famous Tongue-Twisters Come From?
Many traditional tongue twisters have long histories full of unexpected twists and turns - not unlike the acrobatics our tongue goes through as we pronounce them.
The Eerie History of 10 Spooky Halloween Creatures
Do you know where Halloween creatures like witches and zombies come from? Scroll on to read about the origins of 10 spooky Halloween monsters.
English Vocab History: Few Can Pass This Vocabulary Quiz?
These 14 words have really strayed away from their original meaning, can you guess what words like 'girl' and 'clue' used to mean?
QUIZ: Where Did These English Words Come From?
Do you know where the English words you use actually come from? This test is going to ask you to identify the root languages of common English words.
Was Jesus Actully Born Under the Name Jesus?
Is "Christ" Jesus's last name? Was He always refered to as Jesus Christ? Learn the origin of Jesus Christ's name with this informative and well illustrated video.
The Origins of these 10 Olympic Words is Fascinating
You use these popular sports words all the time. But do you know where they come from?
The Origins of Every Country Name in ASIA
Have you ever wondered how countries like Japan, Korea, and China get their names? This video explains the fascinating origins of 45 Asian country names.
These Words Wouldn’t Exist Without These 10 Famous Authors
Learn of 10 commonly-used English words that were coined by famous authors and philosophers.
10 Popular “Contemporary” Words Coined by Shakespeare
Shakespeare’s impact on the language we speak is far greater than most of us realize. These surprising words are just a few of hundreds attributed to the Bard.
These Bygone Terms for ‘Happy’ Need to Be Brought Back
There were some really cool ways to describe happiness back in the day.
How Every Country in the Americas Got Its Name
Learn all about the fascinating etymologies of every country name in the Americas here.
How Did European Countries Get Their Names?
Did you know that the word Spain, the name of the country, is translated from Phoenician as "the land of rabbits?"
The Fascinating Origins of 11 Lovely Flower Names
There is no better time than spring to dive headfirst into the fascinating world of flower name etymologies! Here are the origins of the names of 11 lovely flowers.
Using These French Phrases in English Elevates Your Speech
Even if English is the only language you speak, we’re more than convinced that you’re quite familiar with a bunch of French words...
What's Portmanteau? Surprising Etymologies of Common Words
If If you have ever said the words brunch, sitcom or spam, you have used portmanteaus. This is the fascinating origins story of many common words...
You Know These 10 Foreign Words Without Even Realizing It
We’re willing to bet that you know more foreign words than you think, even if English is the only language you speak. Here’s why...
The Extraordinary Origins of 10 Common English Words
In this article, we uncover the extraordinary etymology of 10 common English words, including ‘daisy’, ‘eavesdropper’, and ‘vaccine’.
The 12 Words of Christmas: Funny Long Lost Phrases
If you think eggnog and wassail are funny-sounding, wait till you hear the Christmas words that didn't stand the test of time
Is It Soda or Pop? 12 Fun and Interesting Regional Words
How are these objects called? It depends on who you ask! Every part of the US has its own fun and fascinating set of regional words
Let’s Thank Cinema For These 10 English Words and Phrases
Films and TV shows have invented and popularized countless words we use in everyday speech today. Here are just 10 surprising examples you’ll want to know
These Slang Words Are Sure to Tickle Your Funny Bone
We’ve collected 11 silly-sounding slang words starting from Victorian times all the way to the present day so that all of us could have a good laugh!
8 Ordinary English Words With Surprisingly Spicy Origins
The origins of all these 8 seemingly innocent words - e.g. gymnasium, avocado, and nice - are not for the faint of heart, as they're quite naughty!
10 English Words That Come From Native American Languages
Some seemingly ordinary English words, such as barbecue, raccoon, and even squash, actually come from Native American languages and it's fascinating!
15 Latin Phrases We Use to This Day Without Even Realizing
As an English, speaker you likely know more Latin than you ever thought you did. Just look at these 15 Latin phrases and see if you know what they mean...
Phrases We Use Without Realizing It’s a Shakespeare Quote
William Shakespeare had a huge impact on modern English, so much so that most of us are quoting the great bard every day without even realizing it!
Where Did 'Murphy's Law' Come From?
Learn the origin of this common phrase - Murphy's Law
You Won’t Believe These 11 Phrases Are Over a Century Old
These 11 words and phrases seem like they're a recent invention in English, but they're actually at least a century old...
10 Words That Entered the Dictionary This Decade
The English dictionary has included countless popular and modern words in its lexicon in the last decade. Here is a list of 10 of them.
Everyone Needs to Know These 17 Online Slang Words
We see these 17 online slang words everywhere nowadays, do you know what these words mean?
From Salt to Salary: Surprising Origins of Ordinary Words
Did you know that the word 'muscle' stems from the Latin word for little mouse? Here is a collection of words with peculiar etymologies
What’s the Story Behind the Weird Names of US Coins?
Have you ever wondered what the word "dollar" actually means and where it comes from? Wonder no more.
Language Quiz: Where Did These English Words Come From?
1950’s Slang Is a Blast! Learn 10 Essential Terms
These 10 words and phrases are the essentials of 1950’s slang, some of which we still use today...
10 Words We Use Every Day That Shakespeare Made Popular
Shakespeare is believed to have invented 1,700 words, but these 10 should be taken off the list, as he didn't invent, but popularized them.
QUIZ: Can You Guess What These Words Used to Mean?
Why Do the Days of the Week Have Such Strange Names?
Why do the days of the week have names? Who are they named after?
I Can’t Believe These Ordinary Words Used to Mean That...
Let’s take a short journey back in time and trace the origins of 11 seemingly-ordinary words that have exceptionally-interesting histories.