English is sort of a sponge among languages. English words are borrowed from just about all other languages. “Sponge,” by the way, comes originally from Greek — except for the “sponge” that’s the heel part of a horseshoe; that comes from the Latin word for a supporting frame, like a bedframe. That’s what they’re talking Continue reading

“Gruel,” which you often read about in old stories about unfortunate waifs in nineteenth-century orphanages, turns out to be a catchall term for various kinds of broth. It could be anything from boiled oatmeal to thin soup. It was served in orphanages, and also to people suffering from various illnesses. But “gruel” is a light, Continue reading

If languages can be said to have sizes, English is clearly one of the jumbos. Maybe the biggest, largest, greatest, most enormous, sizable, grandest, most immense, massive, gigantic, grand, and generous jumbo of them all. It’s got hundreds of thousands of words, after all. One way it got so big is by having multiple words Continue reading

I usually write about words that are hard to find, and sometimes about words that are interesting in some unusual way. But I hardly ever mention words that don’t exist at all. But as you might guess — well, OK, maybe you wouldn’t guess because why would you even be thinking about it — regardless, Continue reading

Most people know that when something is “unilateral” it applies to one side only. If an agreement is unilateral, it’s not really an agreement because only one side has agreed. There can also be unilateral disarmament, unilateral decisions, and so on.  The word is derived from the Latin word “unilateralis,” which in turn was assembled Continue reading

It’s either an idiosyncrasy of English, or possibly of human nature: the only way to arrive at being “amok” appears to be by running. It’s been like that ever since the 1600s: “Like a raging Indian..he runs amucke (as they cal it there) stabbing every man he meets.”  The word comes from Malaysia. When the Continue reading

Hot is hot and cold is cold, and in the middle is “warm.” If you’re talking about certain things (a day or a slice of toast for example), “warm” is a word you’d be likely to use. But other things (for some reason, liquids; water or milk) you might use “lukewarm” even though they could Continue reading

If you visit a “soothsayer”, what you’re looking for is a prediction of the future. You might or might not find the prediction soothing — a word that comes from the same origins.  “Sooth” is an ancient word meaning truth. It was originally Old English, and by the 1700s it was already archaic and obsolete. Continue reading

To be “canny” means being prudent or knowing about something. It originated in Scottish and in northern English dialects as a modification of the word “can,” as in “able to.” The word entered literary English in the 1600s and at first tended to be applied to Scots themselves. The common stereotype of Scottish people even Continue reading

A “beadle” used to be a minor official, particularly in England. The word has been around for centuries, although by now it’s mostly obsolete. In all that time it’s been used in various ways, from a “herald” — sort of a town crier who shouted out the latest news or proclamations — to a person Continue reading