etymology

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Original Technorati articles tagged “etymology”

• in Entertainment
  A Book for Logophiles and Amateur Etymologists: Portmanteau A-Z
  Digerati hangry for frankenfood can read Portmanteau A-Z while they indulge.
  by missbobetier / on Nov 24, 2010

Latest blogosphere posts tagged “etymology”

 

• Rock the mic … or the mike?

  
  The Grammarphobia Blog: Grammar, Usage, Etymology, and More — Authority: 111
  Q: Is there a technical name for when a word is not pronounced as written because it’s a shortening of another word? For example, “mic” would normally be pronounced MICK but, it’s actually pronounced MIKE since it’s short for “microphone.” A: If there’s a word for this, we don’t know what it is. ...
  1 day ago

• What do you call a monthly anniversary?

  
  The Grammarphobia Blog: Grammar, Usage, Etymology, and More — Authority: 111
  Q: Is there a word like “anniversary” for a monthly event? Say, the second monthly whatever of the day I was hired. A: There’s no monthly equivalent for the word “anniversary,” at least not one recognized by standard dictionaries. But for at least 200 years, people have been suggesting “mensiversary” to ...
  6 days ago

• Young Lochinvar is come, or is he?

  
  The Grammarphobia Blog: Grammar, Usage, Etymology, and More — Authority: 111
  Q: How does the phrase “is come” differ in meaning from “is here”? A: As we’ll explain later, the verbal phrase “is come” is simply another, and rather antiquated, way of saying “has come.” And there’s a difference between “he has come” and “he is here.” The verbal phrase “has come” ...
  1 week ago

• An Etymological Headache

  
  OUPblog — Authority: 525
  By Anatoly Liberman To an etymologist ache is one of the most enigmatic words. Although it has been attested in Old English, its unquestionable cognates in other languages are few. Low (that is, northern) German dialects have äken “hurt, fester,” ake “finger inflammation; whitlow; secretion from ...
  1 week ago

• A fish story

  
  The Grammarphobia Blog: Grammar, Usage, Etymology, and More — Authority: 111
  Q: I always thought that “fishes” was not a word. But a couple of weeks ago I read that either “fish” or “fishes” can be used in the plural form. Is this correct and which do you prefer? A: That’s true. Both “fish” and “fishes” are legitimate plurals, according to The American Heritage ...
  1 week ago

• Hear Pat live today on WNYC

  
  The Grammarphobia Blog: Grammar, Usage, Etymology, and More — Authority: 111
  She’ll be on the Leonard Lopate Show around 1:20 PM Eastern time to discuss the English language and take questions from callers. If you miss the program, you can listen to it on Pat’s WNYC page. Check out our books about the English language
  1 week ago

• To Coin A Phrase

  
  strange bOUnce — Authority: 110
  “I’ll give you eight quid for it,” Stevens offered. “Eight quid?” came the disgusted reply. “Are you serious? She’s in primo condition, mate!” “Eight quid, take it or leave it.” “Ohhh mate, come on. Look at her, she’s beautiful! There isn’t a blemish, not a flake of paint scratched off her ...
  1 week ago

• Illustrated Etymology

  
  Neatorama — Authority: 738
  1844, from berserk (n.) "Norse warrior," by 1835, an alternative form of berserker (1822), a word which was introduced by Sir Walter Scott, from O.N. berserkr (n.) "raging warrior of superhuman strength;" probably from *ber- "bear" + serkr "shirt," thus lit. "a warrior clothed in ...
  1 week ago

• Thundering in the index

  
  The Grammarphobia Blog: Grammar, Usage, Etymology, and More — Authority: 111
  Q: By any chance do you know the context in which the phrase “thundering in the index” is, or was, used? And just what does it mean? A: The verbal phrase “thunder in the index” means to give something a big build-up, and it apparently has its origins in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet , written in the late 1500s ...
  1 week ago

• Intensive care

  
  The Grammarphobia Blog: Grammar, Usage, Etymology, and More — Authority: 111
  Q: When I told a friend that a test I took was very “intensive,” she insisted I should have said “intense.” What’s the difference and which one is appropriate? A: Either word might have been appropriate, depending on how you found the test. If you found it “intense,” then it was stressful and perhaps ...
  2 weeks ago

• Guinea

  
  Inky Fool — Authority: 107
  From the Dear Dogberry page comes the question of Guinea: Guinea the African country, New Guinea the Asian country, and guinea the unit of currency. They are all connected. Let us start, as the word did, with West Africa.There is in the Tuareg languages of north western Africa a word aginaw, which means black people; ...
  2 weeks ago

• Our word for the day

  
  The Grammarphobia Blog: Grammar, Usage, Etymology, and More — Authority: 111
  Q: I grew up in rural Indiana and I’m accustomed to hearing “our” sound like “are” instead of “hour” (the way I say it). But I now hear the “are” pronunciation from many celebrities, even Hillary Clinton. Is this getting more common or am I overly sensitive? A: We think you’re being overly ...
  2 weeks ago

• Anonymous asked: yo. do you get offended if people use the term “chink in the armor”?

  
  Chasing Sunsets — Authority: 122
  yoisthisracist : You know what, this would be a great time to link to maybe my finest, and definitely most racist, joke . So this question has been crossing my mind at random for a while, and this post finally made me decide to look up the origin of the term “chink” when used to refer to a small hole, ...
  2 weeks ago

• Orientation day

  
  The Grammarphobia Blog: Grammar, Usage, Etymology, and More — Authority: 111
  Q: I’m a college administrator who deals with student orientation, which brings me to my question: Doesn’t “orientate” mean to face the east? A: Etymologically, you’re right, but words have a way of straying from their original orientation. The verb “orientate” first showed up in the mid-19th century ...
  2 weeks ago

• Phonosymbolism and Phonosemantics in Chinese

  
  Language Log — Authority: 609
  Since Westerners first encountered Chinese characters centuries ago, they have been confused over how the characters convey meaning.  It was obvious from the beginning that the characters are very different from a simple syllabary in that they do not directly and unmistakably signify the sounds of whole syllables on ...
  2 weeks ago

• Gold teeth and a curse for this town were all in my mouth

  
  Ask MetaFilter — Authority: 647
  What words have you made up that you use regularly? I have been doing some reading on the invention of words and how language evolves, etc and am curious what words MeFites have made up that you use in your day to day life? Please give the word and the definition, part of speech etc. The more detail the better. I am ...
  2 weeks ago

• A rhetorical question

  
  The Grammarphobia Blog: Grammar, Usage, Etymology, and More — Authority: 111
  Q: Like any teenager, my 15-year-old daughter has a ravenous appetite and will invariably have a hot dog as a snack after school. When she got home the other day, I asked her if she wanted one and she replied in the emphatic affirmative. “Does this surprise me?” I said to her. “No, why should it?” she replied. ...
  2 weeks ago

• Blue Laws: Etymology Edition

  
  Cause For Concern — Authority: 98
  (image CFC original) Back in the day here in Ohio, you couldnt buy alcohol before 1pm on a Sunday (certain stores: NO ALCOHOL ON JESUS DAY). Now its settled down a bit, but there are still these "blue laws" on the books to keep us from buying (state-controlled) liquor on a Sunday or Federal holiday. Anything under ...
  2 weeks ago

• Recommended: Dolly Parton touches on her touch-ups, calls herself artificial …

  
  Kelly Mclaughlin Page — Authority: 145
  The BEST source for Broadway Buzz, Broadway Shows, Broadway Tickets, Off-Broadway, London theater information, Tickets, Gift Certificates, Videos, News & Features, Reviews, Photos, New York Hotel & Theater Packages. The BEST source for Broadway Buzz, Broadway Shows, Broadway Tickets, Off-Broadway, London ...
  2 weeks ago

• Whom dunnit

  
  The Grammarphobia Blog: Grammar, Usage, Etymology, and More — Authority: 111
  Q: I think Pat should reconsider the reasoning behind her reply last month on the Leonard Lopate Show to a question from a caller about “who” versus “whom.” A: The WNYC caller, identifying herself as Meg from Larchmont, asked Pat about the wording of a holiday greeting that summed up a year of travels and ...
  2 weeks ago

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