dawn.vogel | November 15, 2024
It’s always fun when you learn the etymology of a word that is a little bit surprising. Did you know the word electric is related to the Latin word for amber? This post at Useless Etymology explains the connection. It involves magnetism and cats, so of course I was intrigued! Will it work its way […]
dawn.vogel | October 11, 2024
As a big fan of the Cube Rule, I’m entertained by pretty much all attempts to classify (and sometimes misclassify) food items as different types of food items. Like, for example, Pop Tarts being a sweet ravioli (or ravioli being a savory Pop Tart, depending who you ask). So Is a Sandwich a Taco? is […]
dawn.vogel | August 16, 2024
For this week’s Fun for Friday, check out this article about the etymology of the word “dude“! The article also explores the idea of “macaronic language,” which is not a term I was familiar with prior to this article. But it’s interesting how it’s connected to both the way “dude” came about AND the connection […]
dawn.vogel | June 14, 2024
As we approach the summer solstice, I’m thinking about the words for summer in different languages and how those came to be! Check out this article on the origins of summer from Dynamic Language!
dawn.vogel | April 19, 2024
If you’re curious about the etymology of a bunch of fairly common words, check out this article from Mental Floss! There are a ton of words there, and some of them might surprise you! You might also be inspired by this etymology to write something related to the origin of one of these words, so […]
dawn.vogel | March 15, 2024
Looking for some fun facts to share at your next awkward icebreaker? How about the etymology of the word “awkward”? Find that and fourteen other words in this article about interesting word origins!
dawn.vogel | February 9, 2024
I haven’t done an etymology post in a while for Fun for Friday, so maybe it’s time to bring those posts back into rotation! This week, I’ve got an article about the eight ancient Greek words for love! Perfect as we approach Valentine’s Day! Whatever kind of love you have in your life, there’s an […]
dawn.vogel | October 18, 2019
Ever wondered why English has such unusual spellings when it comes to some words? Some of it can be blamed on etymology, and others can be blamed on false etymology. This article talks about the origins of the English language dictionary and how etymology and false etymology impacted spelling. It’s a fascinating read, and lots […]
dawn.vogel | September 20, 2019
For all of the etymology nerds out there (and I count myself among you), check out this page of word roots. It will tell you a ton about prefixes that often get tacked on to words to change their meaning, but it goes back to the roots of those prefixes. It also breaks down which […]
dawn.vogel | July 19, 2019
When you run across a word that’s really interesting, but you can’t find anything about its etymology, what do you do? Check out these seven canons of etymology for some ideas on how to approach it! While the internet provides etymologies for plenty of words, sometimes it’s fun to try to sort one out yourself, […]
