The etymology of the word "kaleidoscope" literally means “observer of beautiful things.”
The Etymology of “Kaleidoscope”
Author: Jess Zafarris
An award-winning innovator of digital content and marketing solutions and a prolific online and print journalist, Jess Zafarris is the Executive Director, Marketing & Communications for Gotham Ghostwriters. Previously, she served as Digital Content Director and Director for Writer’s Digest and ScriptMag. Her eight years of prior experience in digital and print content direction and marketing include such roles as editor-in-chief of HOW Design magazine and online content director of HOW and PRINT magazine, as well as writing for the Denver Business Journal, ABC News, and the Memphis Commercial Appeal. She spends much of her spare time researching curious word histories and writing about them at UselessEtymology.com. Follow her at @jesszafarris or @uselessety on Twitter.
The Etymology of Dog Breed Names [Infographic]
The following infographic explores the etymology of various dog breeds.
The SUUPER interesting etymologies of the words “sarcastic” and “sardonic.” 🙄
Sarcastic and sardonic are similar, but not precisely the same, in meaning. Sarcastic: "marked by or given to using irony in order to mock or convey contempt." Sardonic: "characterized by bitter or scornful derision; mocking; cynical; sneering: a sardonic grin." The core factor in sarcasm is verbal irony—essentially saying the opposite of what you mean.… Continue reading The SUUPER interesting etymologies of the words “sarcastic” and “sardonic.” 🙄
8 English Words That Come from Yiddish
I was today years old when I learned that these English words are—or come from—Yiddish. Other people who are smarter or more Jewish than me probably knew the Yiddish origins of many of them, but color me ignorant. Here's hoping one of them surprises you as much as it did me. L'Chaim! "Maven," an expert… Continue reading 8 English Words That Come from Yiddish
The Etymology of “Raccoon” and “Coon”
"Raccoon" comes from the Algoniquan/Powhatan word arahkunem, meaning "he scratches with the hands," which was first clumsily adapted by English colonists including John Smith. (Also related, "trash panda" is from the internet, circa... 2016 probably.) "Raccoon" is often shortened to "coon," which was also a nickname for members of the American Whig Party in the… Continue reading The Etymology of “Raccoon” and “Coon”
The Etymology of “Decal” and “Cockamamie”
"Decal," a design that can be transferred onto another surface, is short for "decalcomania," from French décalcomanie (Latin calcare "to tread on, press"). Decalcomania may also be the source of "cockamamie," meaning "nonsense, implausible," from the name of a series of children's temporary tattoos. Invented around 1750 by French engraver Simon François Ravenet when he… Continue reading The Etymology of “Decal” and “Cockamamie”
The Etymology of “Brownie” (the Impish Variety)
Thomas Keightley described brownies as "a personage of small stature, wrinkled visage, covered with short curly brown hair, and wearing a brown mantle and hood" in his 1823 compendium Fairy Mythology. (Full text of that passage from an 1892 version.) So by that logic the name is based on their clothing, which—considering they were household imps—might… Continue reading The Etymology of “Brownie” (the Impish Variety)
