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The family tree of “uncle”
There are many other relatives to be found in the roots of “uncle.” Read more.
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Some reflections on “pandemic”
The political, and etymological, connections between “pandemic” and “democracy.” Read more.
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Some more Emojiology for World Emoji Day
July 17 is World Emoji Day, a celebration of all things emoji. It’s the perfect occasion to promote some writing I’ve been doing for Emojipedia, the encyclopedia for emoji—and one reason, among other word-working, the blog has been less active in recent weeks. Read more.
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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, Read more.
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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. Read more.
Mashed Radish 