Because a prude is prudent when it comes to sexual matters, you might take it for granted that “prude” and “prudent” have the same origins. But making that assumption “wouldn’t be prudent,” as the ...

When you live inside the English language, you begin to see associations that are invisible to others, the way that the little kid in the movie “The Sixth Sense” sees dead people. Making connections ...

Every word we use carries with it layers of history and culture that shape its meaning and usage today. Often, the words flowing effortlessly from our mouths have origins that are both fascinating and ...

The news: We may live in an increasingly globalized world, but we often forget that the intermingling of cultures and languages far precedes the advent of laptops and smartphones. Just take a look at ...

Etymology is the study of the origins of words and how their usage has changed over time. It's every bit the serious academic discipline you might expect it to be — except when it's not. As it turns ...

The word chemistry is said to have roots in either ancient Egypt or Greece. Science historian Howard Markel discusses the word's origin, and the modern naming of the field of chemistry by British ...