A couple years ago, I did a post on August, diving into the Latin roots and how July and August were both renamed for emperors…and sharing a silly epiphany I had about it in high school. You can (and should!) read that post here.

But I was so busy sharing my silliness that I decided not to make that post any longer with other fascinating tidbits about August…so here we are, back again!

First, a bit more on the Roman renaming of the months after emperors. Did you know that when they renamed the seventh month July and the eighth month August, they also renamed September and October to be Germanicus and Domitian? They totally did! But for whatever reason, those second two didn’t stick, and only the first two did.

But what about in the English speaking world? What was this month called before England adopted the Roman names in the late 11th century?

They called it Weodmonað, which literally translates to “weed month.”

Go ahead. Laugh. I know I did.

This “weed month” was, at the time at least, considered to be the first month of autumn in England (whereas August in America is considered the last month of summer, and it’s often the hottest month of the year–but “weed month” still works on this side of the pond!)

Word Nerds Merch!

Ever wonder where the word goggles comes from? It’s pretty funny-sounding, when you think about it. And it’s history is rather amusing too.

Goggle began life not as a noun, but as a verb. It dates from the 1530s, coming from the Middle English with a meaning of “to roll the eyes.” In Middle English, the word had also come to mean squint-eyed. Why? Because of a mis-translation from Latin! The Latin term actually meant “one-eyed.” So…close? LOL

It’s because of this clear association with eyes, though, that we eventually arrive at our current meaning. Goggles as a noun meaning “spectacles; protective eye-wear” dates from 1715!

As for swimming goggles, various items have been used over the centuries, but the evolution of what we think of today started in 1911, when a swimmer used motorcycle goggles swam across the English Channel. They were leaky, but clearly the concept caught on! In 1926 the first female to swim the English Channel improved on that design, adding a paraffin seal for waterproofing. And in 1936 the first patent was filed for waterproof goggles made for swimming.

Word Nerds Merch!