World Wide Words is a 30-year-old website documenting English language evolution through articles on new words, etymologies, and linguistic oddities, with over 3,000 archived pieces and no advertisements.
Ancient Greek contains approximately 1,000 words of unknown origin that cannot be traced to Indo-European or other regional languages, including names like Achilles, Odysseus, and Athens, as well as common words like labyrinth and olive. Linguists believe these words were borrowed from Paleo-European languages spoken by Early European Farmers who preceded Indo-European peoples in the Mediterranean region. As Greek speakers encountered unfamiliar flora, fauna, and geography, they adopted local terminology rather than inventing new words.
Schadenfreude is the pleasure or satisfaction derived from others' misfortunes, troubles, or humiliation. The German loanword entered English texts in the 1852–1895 period and has equivalents across many languages. Research identifies three driving forces—aggression, rivalry, and justice—and shows that individuals with lower self-esteem experience schadenfreude more intensely.
An exploration of common English idioms using 'walk', including their meanings and origins. The article examines phrases like 'walk back' (change your mind), 'walk on eggshells' (avoid offense), 'walk away' (disengage), 'walk a mile in someone's shoes' (empathize), 'walk in the park' (easy task), and 'walk tall' (take pride), noting that most have uncertain or debated etymologies dating from the 16th to 20th centuries.