“Every word was coined by a resourceful individual or borrowed as a result of language contact in a certain place at a certain time,” writes Anatoly Liberman in his new book, “Word Origins and How We ...

Every animal we eat has a vocabulary of its own. For thousands of years, day in and day out, a large segment of humanity has been talking about these domesticated edibles, and it shows: every phase of ...

Kid, meaning a young goat, is a word that was borrowed from the Vikings around the 9th century. Centuries later, it came to ...

A new book exploring the origins of common food terms — from bialy to lima bean to bibimbap — is a fascinating history of how we eat and cook. By Kim Severson Used judiciously, the snappy tidbits of ...

We often hear fascinating stories about how things originated: the universe, the wheel, even pizza. But when it comes to the words we toss around every single day without a second thought, it’s wild ...

Where does the word “mother” come from? What does it mean? If, for some reason, you find yourself asking these questions, read on (and, as an aside, you might need to seek some professional help). For ...

Etymology is generally not a subject known to excite anyone outside of English grad students and Jeopardy! fans. People just don’t care that much about the origin of words. But that lack of interest ...

We sprinkle these expressions into everyday conversation like linguistic confetti: catchy little turns of phrase that make our language colorful and familiar. We “bite the bullet” when the moment ...

It wouldn't be spooky season without ghosts. The otherworldly white apparitions are a standby of Halloween celebrations. But they weren't always the stereotypical evil spirits we see in books and ...

You're currently following this author! Want to unfollow? Unsubscribe via the link in your email. Follow Talia Lakritz Every time Talia publishes a story, you’ll get an alert straight to your inbox!