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Kid: Etymology of the day
Kid, likely borrowed from Old Norse, named a “young goat” (1200s) long before it did “child.” Kid as “child” was a slang term in late 1500s, familiar, though informal, by the late 1800s. m ∫ r ∫ Read more.
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Some etymological—and political—lessons of “condemn”
The word condemn is surprisingly related to the Irish word for “poem.” White supremacists rallied in Charlottesville, Virginia on Saturday, leading to the death of three people, including Heather Heyer, a counter-protester driven down by an Ohio terrorist with neo-Nazi sympathies. It took President Trump a woeful two days to directly condemn this violence and Read more.
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Nuance: Etymology of the day
The word nuance, first attested in the 1780s, comes from the French for “shade of color,” which in turn goes back to the Latin nubes, “cloud, mist, vapor.” m ∫ r ∫ Read more.
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“Armageddon,” “catastrophe,” and other “apocalyptic” word origins
The end of the world loves ancient Greek and the Bible. Threats between North Korea and President Trump this week made many of us fear were approaching the brink of a nuclear catastrophe—among other, stronger and more colorful terms like armageddon. Well, not even the prospect of the end of the world can shake the Read more.
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Lions, chameleons, and shih-tzus, oh my!: 12 “lion” etymologies
“Liger” is much older than you think. “Tigon” is even older. Read more.
Mashed Radish 