Month: October 2019

Did you know that "sinister" and "dexterous" are opposites? (Etymologically speaking, at least.) The word "sinister" comes from the Latin sinister, or "left." Because most people were right-handed, the left side was associated with weakness, bad luck, malice, and darkness (or sunset / the West), while sinister's opposite, dexter ("right") was associated with strength and… Continue reading Why “Sinister” and “Dexterous” Go Hand-in-Hand →

A palindrome, as you likely know, is a word or phrase that reads the same backward and forward (KAYAK, ROTATOR, CIVIC). The word literally means "a running back," or "a running again" from the Greek palin, meaning "back, again," and dromos, meaning "a running. Dromos is also the source of "dromedary," a one-humped camel known… Continue reading On the Etymology of “Palindrome” and Other Forms of Wordplay →