News & Maintenance – Useless Etymology

Explore the Magic of Etymology in Once Upon a Word: A Word-Origin Dictionary for Kids

February 25, 2020February 24, 2020 Jess ZafarrisLeave a comment

Today is the day! Once Upon a Word: A Word Origin Dictionary for Kids is officially out and available for purchase. You can find it in all major online and physical bookstores, including Amazon, Barnes&Noble, and in indie bookstores through IndieBound, as well as Target, Costco, and other stores. This book is a beautifully designed, kid-friendly… Continue reading Explore the Magic of Etymology in 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

January 13, 2020January 28, 2020 Jess Zafarris2 Comments

I wrote a book about etymology! It's called ONCE UPON A WORD: A WORD-ORIGIN DICTIONARY FOR KIDS.

The Truest Sense: An Etymology of “Etymology”

March 31, 2017May 27, 2019 Jess ZafarrisLeave a comment

Like many words of its kind, etymology found its way to English in the 14th century by way of Old French, at which point it simply robbed the older language of the term etimologie or ethimologie. English is quite the thief, you see.