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Etymology of the day: avocado
Today is National Avocado Day. Why don’t you observe it with a little etymology? Via Spanish, avocado comes from the Nahuatl (Aztec) ahuacatl. It means “testicle.” (Try that on some toast.) The Nahuatl language also gives us the words tomato and chocolate, as I discuss in an old post. m ∫ r ∫ Read more.
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It’s time for another Friday etymological news roundup
We had a lot of interesting words in the news this week (some more polite than others). Here’s a news review with—what else?—an etymological twist. Read more.
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Etymology of the day: woebegone
Woebegone doesn’t mean “Woe, go away!” It means “beset with woe.” The begone comes from an old, obsolete verb, bego, “to go about, surround,” among other senses. So, in Middle English, you might have heard the expression: “Me is wo begon.” m ∫ r ∫ Read more.
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Etymology of the day: uncouth
Uncouth originally meant “unknown,” from the Old English cuth (known), past participle of cunnan (to know), source of can. Its sense evolved from “unknown” to “strange” to “clumsy” to “unsophisticated.” m ∫ r ∫ Read more.
Mashed Radish 