Wordplay

Word History

The History Behind 8 Halloween Words

These words haunt us

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different

Including the secret history of 'secretary'

Funner, Stupider, and Other Words That Are in Fact Real

Don't argue with the dictionary

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Words With Remarkable Origins, Vol. 2

The Hairy History of 'Sideburns'

Lousy general. Amazing hair.

Eavesdrop, Fiasco, and 8 More Words with Surprising Origins

Including some trivia on ‘trivia’

What does it mean to 'endorse' a presidential candidate?

It's kind of like "endorsing" a check

The Curious History of 'Filibuster'

The Curious History of "Filibuster"

'Dord': How a Non-Word Made it into the Dictionary

It once haunted our books.

Is Being Called Tenacious a Good Thing?

The Definition of "Tenacious"

Egregious: Meaning and History

From Remarkably Good to Shockingly Bad

How the Turkey Got Its Name

The strange global travels of America's favorite Thanksgiving meal

Etymologies for Every Day of the Week

The sun, the moon, four gods, and a goddess.

Spam. A Lot of Spam.

How Spam Became Something On Your Phone, Not On Your Plate

'Piano': Its Name Is Only Half the Story

The soft and loud of it

The Physical History of 'Stereotype'

From the printing house to everyone's house

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

Welcome to flavor town

Teflon, "Gunk," & More: Products That Became Words

Top 10 Words from Trademarks, Vol. 2

'Ganef,' 'Galoot,' and More Historical Slang Terms We Love

'Hella' is in hella good company

'Caucus': A Curious American Word

Caulkers? Caucauasu? C.A.U.C.U.S.?

Why do we say 'break a leg'?

Theater has given English many gifts. This one is a little hard to explain.

Where does 'curiosity killed the cat' come from?

No cats were harmed in the making of this idiom

Words Inspired by Dogs

These are a wordsmith's best friend
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