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”
A 12-year-old girl named Gloria Lockerman is the reason you learned the word "antidisestablishmentarianism" when you were a kid. Remember how you and your friends would toss it around, touting it as one of the longest words—if not the longest—in the English language? There are of course many longer words, many of them scientific or… Continue reading How 12-year-old Gloria Lockerman taught us the word “disestablishmentarianism”
Useless Etymology 