Category: Feature
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Some reflections on “pandemic”
The political, and etymological, connections between “pandemic” and “democracy.”
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An etymological tricolor: red, white, and blue
Today, Americans celebrate their brave declaration of independence from British rule on July 4th, 1776 with plenty of red, white, and blue, the colors of its star-spangled banner. As a nickname for the flag of the United States, the red, white, and blue is found by 1853. But what about those individuals words red, white,…
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Pulling apart “separation”
This week, US President Donald Trump’s policy of separating families seeking asylum at the US-Mexico border, well, separated our hearts. We’ve seen the cruel ironies of etymology on this blog before. The word separate, alas, is no exception.
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“Raccoon”: an etymological show of hands?
Earlier this week, a raccoon dramatically scaled a skyscraper in St. Paul, Minnesota. Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) captured the event—and the attention and hearts of the internet. The #MPRRaccoon, as it came to be called, eventually summited the building, where it was caught and released into the wild, but not before going viral first. I…
Mashed Radish 