I wrote a book about etymology! It's called ONCE UPON A WORD: A WORD-ORIGIN DICTIONARY FOR KIDS.
Once Upon a Word: A New Word-Origin Kids Book from the Creator of Useless Etymology
Category: Etymologies
4 Etymology Facts for Jane Austen’s Birthday
December 16 is Jane Austen's birthday, so today we'll explore a few intriguing etymology facts related to her and her wonderful works. The word prejudice first meant "contempt" more broadly, rather than today's sense of a specific bias. It comes from the Medieval Latin prejudicium, "injustice." Our current meaning connects more to the older Latin… Continue reading 4 Etymology Facts for Jane Austen’s Birthday
The Etymology of “Pizzazz”
While some sources including etymonline.com say that "pizzazz" (or "pizazz") first appeared in print in a March 1937 issue of Harper's Bazaar, it actually appears earlier in a 1913 issue of The Main Sheet, a largely humorous publication by the Indoor Yacht Club, albeit with a different usage than we see today. It is true… Continue reading The Etymology of “Pizzazz”
The Etymoooology of “Peculiar”
"Peculiar" comes from the Latin peculium, literally "property in cattle," a meaning that lingers in "peculiar to," meaning "belonging solely to." Its "odd" sense arose after the term evolved to mean "distinguished, special," describing a person or thing of great wealth or renown. Peculium was used to describe property in general, for cattle were considered the… Continue reading The Etymoooology of “Peculiar”
The Origins of the Phrase “Pull Yourself Up By Your Bootstraps”
The phrase "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" originated shortly before the turn of the 20th century. It's attributed to a late-1800s physics schoolbook that contained the example question "Why can not a man lift himself by pulling up on his bootstraps?" So when it became a colloquial phrase referring to socioeconomic advancement shortly thereafter, it… Continue reading The Origins of the Phrase “Pull Yourself Up By Your Bootstraps”
Why “Sinister” and “Dexterous” Go Hand-in-Hand
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
On the Etymology of “Palindrome” and Other Forms of Wordplay
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
Movies, Jukeboxes, and Demons: The Etymology of “Nickelodeon”
Before the TV network that defined the childhood of every 90s kid, "nickelodeon" was a word for a motion-picture theater or a jukebox. "Nickelodeon" is composed of the elements "nickel" (like the coin) and the Greek oideion, a type of roofed-over theater in which music was performed. Thus, one could pay a nickel to see… Continue reading Movies, Jukeboxes, and Demons: The Etymology of “Nickelodeon”
If You Are “Ravenous,” You Aren’t Like a Raven
It occurred to me the other day that ravens, while mischievous and intelligent, aren't terribly well-known for having enormous appetites. So wherefore "ravenous"? Turns out it's actually related to "ravine," as in the geographical feature—a deep, narrow gorge. "Ravenous" originally meant "extremely greedy" or "obsessed with plundering" in the 14th century, and was later figuratively… Continue reading If You Are “Ravenous,” You Aren’t Like a Raven
Useless Etymology 