July 2020 – Useless Etymology

Out of This Word: The Origins of 5 Intergalactic Terms

July 12, 2020 Jess ZafarrisLeave a comment

Space-related words have some of the most enchanting etymologies in the cosmos.We call our galaxy the Milky Way because the stars and other matter that compose it look like milk splashed across the night sky. But did you know that’s also where the word “galaxy” itself comes from? It originally comes from the Greek phrase… Continue reading Out of This Word: The Origins of 5 Intergalactic Terms

The Origin of “Earth”

July 2, 2020 Jess ZafarrisLeave a comment

The planet Earth gets its name from the Old English eorþe, meaning “dirt, soil, or country.” In Old English, it was also occasionally used as a verb meaning to bury or inter someone. In Old English “earth" was also a word for the material human world, but it was more commonly known as Middangeard, as recorded… Continue reading The Origin of “Earth”