The following is a modified excerpt from the book Useless Etymology: Offbeat Word Origins for Curious Minds. The word "conundrum' first appears in English in the late 16th century, supposedly at Oxford University, where it was used as an insult for an overly pedantic or studious person, which suggests it might be mock-Latin, perhaps poking fun… Continue reading Puzzling Out the Etymology of Conundrum
This word first described men—especially Northeasterners—with a penchant for fashion, worldliness, and foreign fare. It also boasts a curious connection to "macaronic language." Hey dude! Ever wonder about the origin of the word “dude”? This word is first recorded in the late 1800s as a word for a man who is foppish and fastidious, meaning… Continue reading The Etymology of “Dude”
"Carpenter" is from the Late Latin carpentum ("wagon, carriage, cart"), with a maker of wooden carts known as an artifex carpentarius. In English, "carpenter" replaced the word treowwyrhta, literally "tree-wright." "Carpenter" began to replace treowwyrhta in the 1300s, adopted from the Anglo-French carpenter (Old North French carpentier) and first specifically referring to someone who does… Continue reading The Etymology of “Carpenter”
Useless Etymology 