If you find any nodes you think should be in this category, message the maintainer (or an editor) with your suggestion.

Maintained By: wordsmiths


A category for interesting word origins. Ideally, a writeup added to this category should be both well-written and focus in large part on the etymology. Writeups that only mention the etymology in passing should be avoided; the exception to this are writeups by Webster1913, who is the default if no better option is present.

Letters, morphemes, phrases, and idiomatic expressions are welcome. Words in any language are welcome. Slang is welcome.

This is not a category for interesting and odd words.

Please add a writeup rather than the whole node unless every writeup in the node deals with etymology.


 TitlebyType
1 carabiner (thing) Tem42 writeup
2 Portmanteau (idea) mauler writeup
3 thagomizer (thing) Segnbora-t writeup
4 punctuation etymology (thing) QuietLight writeup
5 -chester (place) Tem42 writeup
6 smörgåsbord (idea) montecarlo writeup
7 hick (person) Tem42 writeup
8 Swashbuckling (idea) Lometa writeup
9 barnacle (definition) Webster 1913 writeup
10 X (idea) sekicho writeup
11 Maverick (person) Lometa writeup
12 googol (idea) Tem42 writeup
13 pwnt (thing) Junkill writeup
14 Bulldoze (idea) Tem42 writeup
15 serendipity (idea) Lometa writeup
16 English words of Indian origin (idea) mauler writeup
17 English words of Polish origin (thing) Mercuryblues writeup
18 English words of Japanese origin (idea) mauler writeup
19 English words of Chinese origin (idea) mauler writeup
20 English words of African origin (idea) Tem42 writeup
21 English words of Czech origin (thing) Mercuryblues writeup
22 English words of Celtic origin (idea) mauler writeup
23 English words of Arabic origin (thing) Mercuryblues writeup
24 English words of Portuguese origin (thing) Mercuryblues writeup
25 Anglo-Saxon words for animals, French words for meat   e2node
26 Hackneyed (idea) Tem42 writeup
27 fromage (thing) Tem42 writeup
28 of (thing) Tem42 writeup
29 Words Taken From Mythology (idea) --OutpostMir-- writeup
30 English words from Latin numbers (idea) Gritchka writeup
31 jazz (thing) sid writeup
32 juggernaut (idea) Segnbora-t writeup
33 Vandyke (thing) Segnbora-t writeup
34 pants (thing) mauler writeup
35 Why 'ph' and not 'f'? (idea) Mercuryblues writeup
36 Bunkum (definition) Webster 1913 writeup
37 bork   e2node
38 robot (thing) wrinkly writeup
39 assassin (thing) wertperch writeup
40 Boustrophedon   e2node
41 Sarcasm (definition) Webster 1913 writeup
42 's (idea) Tem42 writeup
43 cynic (person) Pseudo_Intellectual writeup
44 barbarian (person) RubenAzarja writeup
45 Testify (thing) mr100percent writeup
46 el (thing) Tem42 writeup
47 Sixtus (person) mauler writeup
48 Praenomen (thing) EliteGrunt writeup
49 dumbbell (thing) Tristan writeup
50 just deserts (idea) TenMinJoe writeup

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