175 Vintage Boy Names—and Their Meanings—That Are Perfect for Your Little Gent

Monty — A French name meaning "mountain," Monty would be perfect for your little adventurer. Flint — Meaning “hard, grey stone” or “stream,” Flint is associated with strength, resilience and a ...

The etymology of Halloween: How centuries of culture, language, and lore shaped the way we talk about 'Fright Night'

The word Halloween seems like a good place to start. The Christian holiday All Saints' Day has been celebrated on Nov. 1 for over a thousand years. Another word for "saint" is "hallow" — as in ...
Greek Reporter

The Greek OXI Was a Message of Freedom to the World

Throughout the history of Greece, "OXI" was exclaimed to the enemy at various times, most famously on "OXI Day." ...
Greek Reporter

European Cities With Names Derived From Greek

Many well-known European cities trace the roots of their names back to Greece, reflecting their rich histories.

From ‘Pandemic’ To ‘Carnival’: Guess 27 Word Roots Perfectly

Think you’ve got a sharp language IQ? It’s time to prove it. This 27-question quiz will put your knowledge of word roots and ...
ancient-origins

Greek Goddess Rhea: Mother of the Gods & Queen of the Titans

Rhea is one of the most important ancient Greek gods. Although a Titan, she was responsible for both the birth and survival of the most famous Greek Gods such as Zeus and Hera. However, today while ...
BMJ

When I use a word . . . On the origins of medical words

Centre for Evidence Based Medicine, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK In English medical vocabulary Greek words, Latin words, and hybrid ...

Hindi, Greek and English all came from a now-extinct tongue

Linguists have developed methods for reconstructing the ancestral language, and refer to it using the label Proto-Indo-European or PIE ...
Inc

I’m an Amateur Linguist—I Still Couldn’t Guess the Origins of These 4 Words. Can You?

Where do words come from? Many of the terms we use daily in business have a colorful history behind them. So for Labor Day, I’m sharing some I learned from Susan Bendror, senior content editor at the ...
PBS

Popular Word Origins That Are Totally Wrong

Otherwords is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio ...
NPR

Why the origin of the word 'dog' remains a mystery

They're known as man's best friends, fur babies, pooches. But the most widely used word for these beloved animals — "dog" — is also a great linguistic mystery. "The most everyday, commonplace words ...
NPR

What is the origin of the word deadline? An exploration of its etymology

The word "deadline" has been used a lot in reference to tariffs. It got us thinking: what is the origin of the word? NPR's Scott Simon talks with Benjamin Dreyer, author of "Dreyer's English." The ...