MetaFilter posts tagged with etymology

Intelligence is Sexy

Navelgazer — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 19:42:37 -0800

H o t F o r W o r d s - a youtube classroom series on etymology taught by Marina, a... hot Russian philologist. Mildly NSFW. Warning: Marina is as shameless in her self-promotion as she is in her choice of tops. Still, fun and interesting for etymology-freaks.

The N-word is dead

desjardins — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 13:34:04 -0800

The N-word: 1786 - 2007.

Etymologic!

Burhanistan — Fri, 04 May 2007 21:14:26 -0800

Etymologic! - claims to be the toughest word game on the web.

Wine Spodee-O-Dee, Drinkin' Wine

litlnemo — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 03:17:29 -0800

Spodee (among other spellings) is a Pacific Northwest party drink, a mixture of alcohol and fruit, frequently made in a trash can and left to marinate a day or two before the party. The origin of the word is unknown, but it seems likely to come from the classic R&B song "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" by Stick McGhee, which in 1949, was the first big hit record for Atlantic Records. (More inside, including links to sound files)

Test Your Word Power!

johnny novak — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 00:46:02 -0800

Test Your Word Power!

Ring-a-ring-a-what now?

5MeoCMP — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 11:28:52 -0800

Did you ever wonder where nursery rhymes came from? Of course, the etymology of some rhymes is contentious, but at least you can get the tune right [uses flash] while you argue about them.

The bowler's Holding, the batsman's Willey

nthdegx — Mon, 04 Jul 2005 11:41:15 -0800

The Origins and Common Usage of British Swear-words.

Online Etymology Dictionary

xmutex — Thu, 09 Dec 2004 14:06:45 -0800

Ever wondered why they use K to record a baseball strike? How about the origin of eavesdrop? What about vamping on a piano? All this and more at the Online Etymology Dictionary.

To the French, it is the flower that thinks; what do the English call it?

painquale — Sat, 04 Dec 2004 12:09:14 -0800

Etymology-wise, which hormone is an island? What word both denotes a prime and euphemizes Satan? What word denotes "the future" and abbreviates the unknown? Is urine pith? These are some of the questions from "Moot: The World's Toughest Language Game," a homemade and little-known board game for lovers of words. Some puzzles are available online; there are a few more available on a page detailing the interesting story behind the game's creation. You can sign up to have a new language puzzle e-mailed to you every week.

101 words, and yet I cannot think of a clever title...

Orange Goblin — Tue, 19 Oct 2004 09:33:05 -0800

101 years in 101 words