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My bad French makes for good etymology: the origin of “oui”
What begins as a Latin demonstrative pronoun becomes an expression of Frenchness. Read more.
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“Literature’s hand luggage”: wit and wisdom in James Geary’s “The World in a Phrase: A Brief History of the Aphorism”
A definitive—and delightful—handbook to the hard-to-define aphorism. Read more.
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The 2025 Etymology of the Year
“Fascism” is a challenging word for a challenging moment, and its origins may bear lessons for us. Read more.
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Workplace Word Origins: jargon, milestone, sesquipedalian, benchmark, team
Can’t stand jargon? Blame it on the birds! Read more.
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Newsy etymology, animals edition: frog, bunny, squirrel, blue jay
“Bunny” was originally “squirrel,” and “squirrel” was originally … “shadow tail”?! Read more.
Mashed Radish 