Yesterday was William Shakespeare’s birthday (and also mine!) It’s commonly said that Shakespeare invented over 1700 words. While it’s true that his plays are the first documented appearance of many words, in most cases he did not just pluck them out of thin air. The majority are alterations or remixes of preexisting words by adding… Continue reading Unexpectedly Shakespearean Words
Let's look at words derived from or related to the Greek naus meaning “ship” and nautes, meaning “sailor.” You can probably guess that the word “nautical,” and “navy” come from this Greek source. Another related word is “navigate,” which literally and etymologically means “to set a ship in motion." Photo by Austin Neill on Unsplash The word “nausea,”… Continue reading Root Exploration: Words Derived from the Greek Naus, or “Ship”
Coward comes from the Old French coart, "tail (of an animal)" + the pejorative ending -ard, suggesting an animal's tail tucked in fear. Coward comes from the Old French word coart, from the Latin coda or cauda, meaning "tail (of an animal)." As a result, the word likely came to imply fear in a metaphorical sense—an animal's tail tucked between its… Continue reading The Etymology of “Coward”
To be "disoriented" is to be feel confused or unable to determine where you are. Etymologically, it specifically means that you do not know in which direction the sun will rise—that is, which way is East. The base word comes from the Latin orientem, which means “the East.” The Latin base word is oriri, meaning… Continue reading If You’re Disoriented, Are You Also Disoccidented?
Useless Etymology 