Word-Origin Wednesday is the weekly podcast that walks you through a word origin in five minutes or less.
…
continue reading
Word Matters is a show for readers, writers, and anyone who's curious about the English language. Join Merriam-Webster editors as they challenge supposed grammar rules, reveal the surprising origins behind words, tackle common questions, and generally geek out about the beautiful nightmare that is our language.
…
continue reading
1
Episode 100: How did we get here?
22:08
22:08
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
22:08
It’s our 100th episode, which seemed like a good occasion to answer a listener question of a more personal type: how did we—that is, we three editors—get here? Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privac…
…
continue reading
1
Do we repeat ourselves? Very well then, we repeat ourselves.
13:48
13:48
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
13:48
A listener questions a tautology in one of our definitions and starts us off on a discussion of all types of repetition and redundancy. Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy…
…
continue reading
1
Hackneyed Phrases, Both Old and New
14:55
14:55
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
14:55
Writing advice often includes hackneyed phrases we’re supposed to avoid. The phrases we're warned against today are different from the ones of yesteryear. We'll explore both. Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. See Privacy Policy at https://a…
…
continue reading
1
Tips for Frenchifying Your French
21:20
21:20
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
21:20
Whether you're hoping to improve your high school French or just order that croissant with more confidence, we have some tips for you. Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy …
…
continue reading
1
Eggcorns, Mondegreens, and Spoonerisms—Oh My!
27:25
27:25
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
27:25
A discussion of various kinds of slips of the tongue and errors of the ear. Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.…
…
continue reading
1
Traveling Words: Luggage, Baggage, and the Recombobulation Station
18:50
18:50
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
18:50
In the disconcerting event that your travels by air deliver you, but not what you've packed, to your destination, you may find yourself filing a lost luggage claim, or a lost baggage claim—it could be either. Instead of ruminating over the awful circumstances, we turn our attention to the words themselves; we also revisit the recombobulation area w…
…
continue reading
Sometimes a word, over time, will take on a meaning that doesn’t play very nicely with its original meaning, leaving a person who knows both meanings unsure what to do. Is the word still usable? Or is it … skunked? Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript availab…
…
continue reading
1
When Dictionaries Drop Words
25:38
25:38
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
25:38
We’ve discussed how words come to be entered in our dictionaries before, but today we’re going to talk about removing words from dictionaries. Which words get dropped? And why? Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com…
…
continue reading
1
Wordle Does Not Make Us Nauseous
17:39
17:39
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
17:39
Some listeners want to know if working with words professionally makes a dictionary editor better, or worse, at Wordle, and another listener wants us to weigh in on the difference between 'nauseated' and 'nauseous'—which doesn’t turn our stomachs in the least. Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration wit…
…
continue reading
1
The Invention of the Modern Dictionary
33:40
33:40
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
33:40
The earliest dictionaries were the fruit of one person’s labor, but the 1864 Webster's Unabridged changed all of that. Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https:…
…
continue reading
1
An Interview with Jacques Bailly, Official Pronouncer for Scripps National Spelling Bee
27:55
27:55
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
27:55
Jacques Bailly has been the official pronouncer for Scripps National Spelling Bee since 2003—23 years after winning the bee himself. A professor in the Classics department at the University of Vermont, his language expertise is vast, and talking to him is a delight. Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaborati…
…
continue reading
1
Nashe's 8 Types of Drunkards Includes No Octopi
25:24
25:24
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
25:24
An exploration of Thomas Nashe's use of animals as metaphors for those who imbibe heavily; And what *is* the plural of octopus? Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice …
…
continue reading
1
Will 'ect.' become an acceptable spelling of 'etc.'? And if it does, will that be unexplainable or merely inexplicable?
25:49
25:49
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
25:49
An exploration of spellings—like 'ect.' for 'etc.'—that reflect alternative pronunciations, and the unexplainable favoritism that is shown to 'inexplicable.' Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy …
…
continue reading
1
Corrections, Clarifications, and Grave Transgressions
16:28
16:28
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
16:28
A visit to the mailbag provides us with a sartorial use of ‘hipster,’ some schooling on 19th century locomotive technology, and a question about sneaking words into dictionaries. Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. See Privacy Policy at https…
…
continue reading
We all know how to find opposites by removing prefixes: 'unhappy' becomes 'happy'; 'disagree' becomes 'agree.' Easy peasy. But some words resist prefix removal—or, at least they try. Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. See Privacy Policy at h…
…
continue reading
1
George Orwell's 'Politics and the English Language'
28:42
28:42
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
28:42
George Orwell published his famous essay "Politics and the English Language" in 1946, and we mostly wish he hadn't. Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://a…
…
continue reading
1
Linguistic Double Dipping
18:23
18:23
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
18:23
English borrowed lots of words from French. And it liked some of those words so much it borrowed them twice. Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.co…
…
continue reading
1
All About Abbreviations
16:40
16:40
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
16:40
If brevity is the soul of wit, are abbreviations the language's best jokes? Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.…
…
continue reading
1
The History of 'Whistleblower'
18:55
18:55
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
18:55
Whistleblowers didn't always tell secrets and hipsters weren't always hip. This episode explains how 'whistleblower' and 'hipster' came to have their current meanings. Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.co…
…
continue reading
1
What does it mean to be 'at large'?
17:35
17:35
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
17:35
First, we'll look at how 'at large' came to be applied to editors, criminals, and sometimes the world itself. Then, we'll trace the word 'large' itself. It's kind of a big deal. Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. See Privacy Policy at https:…
…
continue reading
This week's episode is all about the small details that make up the dictionary. How do we decide the guide words that appear at the tops of pages? What are those dots that break up a headword at a dictionary entry? (Hint: they have nothing to do with pronunciation.) Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaborati…
…
continue reading
1
A Pair of Suffixes and The History of 'Ditto'
21:05
21:05
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
21:05
The ending of a word can tell you a lot. Just the slight difference between '-ity' and '-ness' can create a wide variety of distinctions and nuance. Today we're starting at the end. Plus, everything you'll ever need to know about the history of 'ditto.' Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New E…
…
continue reading
1
On Secretly Gendered Language
16:12
16:12
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
16:12
Most of the time, there's nothing about an adjective that makes it refer only to any gender. And yet, there are some words that get subconsciously used by English speakers in very specific ways. Let's take a look at some of the surprising habits the language might not even know it has. Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Pro…
…
continue reading
1
How to Order Adjectives
15:04
15:04
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
15:04
In English, there's a certain way adjectives tend to fall in line. It's natural to hear something like "brown leather wallet," but "leather brown wallet" would sound slightly off. So... why? We'll look into it. Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available h…
…
continue reading
1
When Nouns Act Like Adjectives
15:33
15:33
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
15:33
We all know that nouns have a specific job. So do verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and the like. But what happens when they start moonlighting in other roles? Meet the attributive noun. Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. See Privacy Policy at htt…
…
continue reading
1
Dipping Into the Mailbag: 'Yeet,' 'Typeface' vs. 'Font,' and 'Lo and Behold'
20:34
20:34
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
20:34
We're back to the mailbag this week with some excellent questions, including: Is 'yeet' ready for the dictionary? What's the difference between a typeface and a font? Why do people say 'lo and behold'? Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. See …
…
continue reading
1
The History of the English Language (The Podcast)
17:41
17:41
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
17:41
English is often called a "Germanic" language, and yet huge parts of it come from Latin and Greek. So: what gives? Here's the story of English, in 17 minutes. Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. Sponsored by University of California Irvine Di…
…
continue reading
1
Words That Began as Metaphors
17:32
17:32
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
17:32
Usually, a word begins with a literal, concrete meaning. (Like concrete, for example.) Then, eventually, it starts being used metaphorically. (Hey again, concrete!) But with these words, that's not the case. These words began as metaphors and then went backwards. Then: what's the difference between ferment and foment? Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammo…
…
continue reading
1
Inside Our Citation Files
22:10
22:10
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
22:10
Our Springfield office holds a file of 16 million alphabetized scraps of paper, each containing a citation for a word. Some of them are from as far back as the 19th century. Many are written by hand. So... how did we create this bit of living history? It's a long story. Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collabo…
…
continue reading
1
Getting Philosophical About the Dictionary
18:05
18:05
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
18:05
Should we only enter words everyone knows, or does the dictionary need to cover the obscure as well? The answer is, well, pretty philosophical. Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California…
…
continue reading
1
The Newest Words in the Dictionary
28:30
28:30
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
28:30
We recently added a whole bunch of new words. Here are some of our favorites! Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. Our podcast is sponsored by University of California Irvine Division of Continuing Education. For more information, please visit…
…
continue reading
Last week we told you about our Word of the Year. This week, we'll get into the rest of the words that made up 2021. Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. Sponsored by University of California Irvine Division of Continuing Education. For more i…
…
continue reading
1
Our Word of the Year 2021
21:10
21:10
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
21:10
The word 'vaccine' was about much more than just medicine this year. Here's what we looked at to make it our 2021 Word of the Year. Read up on 'vaccine' and the rest of the runners up here. Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. See Privacy Poli…
…
continue reading
1
Researching Slang (with Ben Zimmer)
31:04
31:04
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
31:04
This week we're joined by Wall Street Journal language columnist and Spectacular Vernacular podcast host Ben Zimmer! Learn all about Ben's research on the history of words like 'hella' and 'Ms.', plus how slang is studied and tracked through time. Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England…
…
continue reading
1
Why Is There No 'N' in 'Restaurateur'?
21:50
21:50
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
21:50
First: someone who owns or runs a restaurant is called a restaurateur. What? How did that happen? Is 'restauranteur' a valid word? We'll get into it. Then: why do people say 'meteoric rise' when meteors are famously things that fall? Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media.…
…
continue reading
1
'Decimate': Use It However You Want
22:03
22:03
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
22:03
Few words in the English language get people as riled up as the supposed "incorrect" use of 'decimate.' Does it have to keep its Roman meaning of "reduce by one tenth" or can it generally mean "destroy," as it's been used by millions of speakers for hundreds of years? (Hint: see title.) Then we'll look at the language of invitations, and the rescin…
…
continue reading
1
What It Means to 'Call an Audible'
21:02
21:02
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
21:02
How did 'audible' move from the football huddle to general conversation? And why do we have both 'inexplicable' and 'unexplainable'? Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy No…
…
continue reading
When is it 'sneaked' and when is it 'snuck'? And how about 'dreamed' vs. 'dreamt'? 'Creeped'/'crept'? It's Irregular Verbs Week here on Word Matters. Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. Our podcast is sponsored by Betterhelp. To receive 10% o…
…
continue reading
1
The Etymology of Insults
18:45
18:45
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
18:45
How did 'snake-oil salesman' become a term for a swindler? It's a complex story. How was 'asshat' formed? It's about what you'd expect. Today we're getting into the intricacies of vulgarities. Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. See Privacy P…
…
continue reading
1
How Words Are Dropped from the Dictionary
16:00
16:00
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
16:00
We talk all the time about how words are entered. But what about the ones that fall away? How are those decisions made? Let's get into it. Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. Sponsored by University of California Irvine Division of Continuing…
…
continue reading
1
Words Named After Real People
12:46
12:46
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
12:46
You know that old cliche, "When they look up X in the dictionary, they'll see your picture"? Well, for these folks, that saying is true. Today we're talking eponyms. Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/…
…
continue reading
1
Taking an Ax—or Axe?—to the 'Podium' vs. 'Lectern' Debate
17:35
17:35
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
17:35
Today we're looking at two of the English language's most persistent questions. First, is there an actual difference between 'ax' and 'axe'? What's up with that? Then, the great debate continues to rage over what can be called a 'podium' and what is a 'lectern.' Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration w…
…
continue reading
1
What's a folk etymology?
12:25
12:25
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
12:25
The English language 1) is not logical, and 2) loves to hold onto its mistakes. Enter folk etymology, or, attempts to apply logic to the language, and the mistakes that took root. Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. Our podcast is sponsored b…
…
continue reading
This week we finally address it: the two spellings of everyone's favorite North American marsupial. Plus, we do a deep dive on 'staycation' and various other leisure-related portmanteaus! Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. See Privacy Policy…
…
continue reading
1
How We Approach Compound Words
19:15
19:15
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
19:15
We're back to the mailbag this week with two great user questions: What makes a compound word worthy of dictionary entry? Is there one correct way to spell 'yay'? Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/pri…
…
continue reading
1
How Language Evolves (with Grammar Girl)
23:20
23:20
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
23:20
We're joined this week by Mignon Fogarty, aka Grammar Girl, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of her show Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing. Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. Today's sponsor is BetterHelp. Listeners get 10% off their …
…
continue reading
1
The Brothers Merriam: An Introduction
18:13
18:13
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
18:13
Last week we told you about our irascible forefather Noah Webster. But where does the "Merriam" factor in? Here's the story of George and Charles Merriam, the brothers who took Webster's work and brought it to the world stage. Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transc…
…
continue reading
1
Who was this Webster guy, anyway?
19:21
19:21
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
19:21
Dictionary writer. Spelling reformer. Lovable crank? Meet our ancestor—and the father of American English—Noah Webster. Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Transcript available here. Today's sponsor is BetterHelp. Listeners get 10% off their first month by visiting bet…
…
continue reading
1
All About Subject-Verb Agreement
13:28
13:28
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
13:28
Most of the time, the subject of a sentence and its verb get along just fine. But when they don't, they can be just a tiny bit... wildly confusing. We'll try to clear up the trickiest subject-verb situations for you. Hosted by Emily Brewster, Neil Serven, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Tra…
…
continue reading
1
The Invention of 'Introvert' (with Science Diction)
26:48
26:48
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
26:48
We're joined this week by Johanna Mayer and Chris Egusa from the Science Diction podcast to discuss the psychological origins of the word 'introvert'! Hosted by Emily Brewster, Neil Serven, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski. Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media. Science Diction is a production of Science Friday and WNYC. Transcrip…
…
continue reading