“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 ...

You are able to gift 5 more articles this month. Anyone can access the link you share with no account required. Learn more. A: “Cult” entered English from the French word “culte,” which derived from ...

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 ...

Use 'semantic gradients' to turn vocabulary study into a shared thinking activity that explores the subtle differences ...