Month: February 2015
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OxfordWords guest post: culprit
Be sure to visit the OxfordWords blog, where I’ve guest-authored another post. This time, it’s on origin of culprit: Amnesia, disguises, and mistaken identities? No, these are not the plot twists of a blockbuster thriller or bestselling page-turner. They are the story of the word culprit. At first glance, the origin of culprit looks simple enough. Mea culpa, culpable, exculpate, and the more obscure inculpate: these words come from…
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measles
The recent outbreak of measles in the United States is incredible for a lot of reasons, especially since the country declared the disease officially eliminated here in 2000. But the word measles–and the disease, to be sure–has been around for a long time. Measles The first ‘case’ of measles in the English language was documented as early as…
Mashed Radish 