Word of the Week
Word history and etymology
Have you ever wondered when certain words started to be used in certain ways? Or how they even came about? If they’re related to other, similar-sounding words?
I wonder these things all the time. And so, for years I’ve been gathering interesting words together, looking at the etymology, and posting them in fun, bite-sized posts called Word of the Week. Here you’ll find everything from which definition of a word pre-dates another, to how certain holiday words came about, to what the original meaning was of something we use a lot today but in a very different way. And of course, the surprising words that we think are new but in fact are pretty ancient, like “wow”!
Word of the Week – Gus (the mouse from Cinderella, of course)
Okay, so this week's word isn't so much a simple word as the explanation of a name. And maybe I'm the only nerd in the world to get excited about realizing the reason for this one, but just in case . . . Remember in Disney's Cinderella, when the alert her that a new...
Word of the Week – Cleave
I maintain that "cleave" is one of the most bizarre words in the English language. Why? Because it means two exactly opposite things. Cleave, definition 1 - to stick, cling, adhere to something closely. Cleave, definition 2 - to divide, to split, to cut Um . . ....
Word of the Week – Macaroni
Yes, you read the title right. Today I'm bringing to you an enlightening treatise on the word "macaroni." =) Now, in my house "macaroni" is synonymous with "the most common food to be found, because it's the only thing my kids are 100% guaranteed to eat." But as with...
Word of the Week – Pedestrian
While I'm far, far away from working on modern books, I thought I'd introduce a new feature on Mondays for now. Actually, I owe the idea to two Facebook friends, who responded to one of my word-nerd moments with the thought that I should do a word-a-day on my blog....