Pylimitics

The English word “flamboyant” is taken directly from French. That is, in French the word is the same, but the meaning differs. And the meaning in French has changed in interesting ways since the 1500s, and also since the 1800s, which is when it started to appear in English. The French word is probably older… Continue reading

What we call a “yard” was, in Old English, a “geard.” It was pronounced about the same way, but the word did something unusual during the transition to modern English: it split into two words, with “yard” keeping the Old English “g” sound that’s more like a “y,” but in the other (“garth”) the “g”… Continue reading

There’s something inherently amusing about the word “pants.” It’s not for nothing, after all, that David Letterman’s production company is called Worldwide Pants. One thing about “pants” is that it’s plural, and even though it’s been centuries since the garment was made in two pieces, one for each leg, we still refer to a “pair… Continue reading

Here’s a sentence you’d be unlikely to encounter nowadays. “It was noscible in the village that the oporopolist’s stall was often closed because of his fondness for riviation.” You’d be unlikely to encounter it because “noscible,” “oporopolist,” and “riviation” are all words that were once in general use in English, but haven’t been heard from… Continue reading