WebOct 20, 2024 · 10 English words with surprising etymology. Published 20 October 2024. Category The joy of English. Readability A. Reading Time 7:28. “Every word carries a secret inside itself; it’s called etymology. It is the DNA of a word.”. — Mary Ruefle, Madness, Rack & Honey. “Etymology” derives from the Greek word etumos, meaning “true.”. WebApr 23, 2013 · 9. By and large. Many everyday phrases are nautical in origin— “taken aback,” “loose cannon” and “high and dry” all originated at sea—but perhaps the most surprising example is the ...
Infamous Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
WebJun 20, 2024 · 4. Go Bananas. Windzepher/iStock. The expression go bananas is slang, and the origin is a bit harder to pin down. It became popular in the 1950s, around the … WebThe Latin word fama meant rumor, but it could also mean great deeds that would be known for millennia. Latin lacked a distinct word, like our “celebrity,” for the trivial sort of fame … effect of insulin
10 Common Sayings With Historical Origins
Web1 day ago · Anaxagoras was a Greek philosopher who lived in the fifth century B.C. He was one of the first thinkers to propose a naturalistic and scientific explanation of the cosmos, challenging the traditional views of his time that attributed everything to divine intervention. He is most famous for his theories about the nature and origin of… WebFamous, celebrated, eminent, distinguished refer to someone or something widely and favorably known. Famous is the general word: a famous lighthouse. Celebrated … WebSep 20, 2016 · 8. Manticore. This mythical beast entered English as the Latin manticora, from Greek martichora. Both of these spellings seem to have varied. If you didn't know, it has a man's head, a lion's body, a scorpion's tail, and various other bestial features: bat wings, a trumpeting voice, and razor-sharp teeth. effect of insecurity in northern nigeria