Tag: etymology
-
Terabyte: a “monstrous” amount of data
Last week, the Panama Papers leaked 2.6 terabytes of data. That adds ups to 11.5 million confidential documents about the secret, and potentially scandalous, offshoring of wealth across the globe. That’s a lot of information. You might even call it a “monstrous” amount, if you look to the origin of the prefix tera–. Monsters and marvels …
-
Whales, antelopes, monsters, & pigs: a deep dive into the many names for the orca
This week, Sea World announced that it’s ending its controversial captive orca breeding program. Orca, killer whale, blackfish: this inspiring cetacean has known many names in English. Let’s take a deep dive into their origins. Orca Popularly, the orca goes by the “killer whale,” which has been in use, often just as “killer” early on, since the 1720s. In…
Mashed Radish 