#english
vocabularyDish and Desk: The Secret Twins Hiding in Everyday English
Costume and custom, loyal and legal, dish and desk — three pairs of everyday words that each split from its own Latin ancestor.
vocabularyOccur, Current, Course: The Hidden 'Run' in Cur- Words
Occur, current, course and cursor come from one Latin verb meaning 'to run.' Secure looks like one of them but comes from a different root — care.
vocabularyDisaster Literally Means 'Bad Star': The Astrology Hidden in Everyday English
Disaster once meant 'a bad star,' a lunatic is moonstruck, and influence flowed from the heavens: everyday English still carries the old astrology.
vocabularyGlamour Is Literally the Word 'Grammar': From a Spell to Dazzling Charm
Glamour and grammar are the same word. It began as a Scots term for magic, a spell that deceives the eye, long before it ever meant dazzling charm.
vocabularyContain, Retain, Detain: The Hidden 'Hold' in English's -tain Words
Contain, retain, detain and maintain come from one Latin verb meaning 'to hold.' Attain looks like one of them, but belongs to a different family.
vocabularyOne Root, Ten Words: How Greek and Latin Roots Build English Vocabulary
Learn one Latin root like spect ('to look') and you can decode inspect, perspective, conspicuous, and a dozen more — how word roots grow your English.
vocabularySmog, Brunch, Chortle: A Field Guide to Portmanteau Words
Smog, brunch, motel, chortle: English is full of portmanteau words. Lewis Carroll named them, and the dictionary still records the seams.
vocabularyBuzz, Hiss, Clang: The Words That Sound Like What They Mean
Some English words are built from the sound they name — buzz, hiss, clang. A look at onomatopoeia and how the classics put it to work.
guidesThe Hidden Order of Adjectives: Why It's a 'Big Red Ball,' Not a 'Red Big Ball'
English sorts stacked adjectives by a strict unwritten rule: opinion, size, age, shape, colour. You follow it perfectly, and were never taught it.
vocabularyCleave, Sanction, Dust: Words That Mean Their Own Opposite
Some English words are their own opposite — to cleave is to split or to cling, to sanction is to approve or to punish. A field guide to contronyms.