Wordorigins.org

Time 2020-11-05 10:03:11

Web Name: Wordorigins.org

WebSite: http://www.wordorigins.org

ID:105633

Keywords:

Wordorigins,org,

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Wordorigins.org is devoted to etymology. the study of word and phrase origins. (It is not the study of insects; that is entomology.) In and of itself, etymology isn’t a terribly important or necessary field—knowing the origins of words and phrases isn’t going to save lives or improve anyone’s quality of life, it won’t even help you become a better writer—but it can reveal fascinating insights into history and the nature of humanity. Language not only grows and changes with the times, it also is central to our identities.Often, popular tales of a word’s origin arise. Sometimes these are true; more often they are not. While it can be disappointing when a neat little tale turns out to be untrue, almost invariably the true origin is just as interesting. And in the cases where it’s not, the search can help sharpen our critical thinking skills.Latest posts to the public site:nail-biter (Big List, new), 4 November 2020globalization (Big List, revision), 4 November 2020swing state (Big List, new), 3 November 2020college / electoral college (Big List, new), 2 November 2020red state / blue state / purple state (Big List, new), 2 November 2020Halloween (Big List, revision), 30 October 2020ghost / give up the ghost (Big List, revision), 30 October 2020goblin / hobgoblin (Big List, new), 29 October 2020vampire (Big List, revision), 28 October 2020October surprise (Big List, new), 27 October 2020trick or treat (Big List, revision), 27 October 2020Become a PatronI’ve launched a Patreon.com site for sponsors of this site. For US$5/month, patrons will have access to draft material before it is posted on the public site. If you would like to support Wordorigins.org with your money, you can make a pledge on Patreon. The money raised will go a long way toward keeping this site up and running. As of this writing, there are 20+ posts in the queue that patrons can view and comment on before they go live on the public, Wordorigins.org site. In the future, I may add bonus content available only to patrons and, if this initial foray into Patreon.com is successful, I may add additional patronage tiers with different levels of benefits. But that is for another day.But if you are unable to contribute, rest assured that the free, public site will continue to operate as before. And as of right now, all the content that is available on Patreon.com will be posted to the public site in coming weeks. I remain committed to keeping the bulk of Wordorigins.org content freely available to all.So if you feel this site is worth your financial support and you are able to do so, please make a pledge to support it.If you would prefer to make a one-time donation to support the site, you may do so via PayPal using dave AT wordorigins.org as the recipient identification.Available for review and comment on the Patreon site:harlottitmousehappy as a clamhandicaphack / hacker (cut, computer)hackney / hack (taxi)it’s not over until the fat lady sings / it ain’t over till it’s over battery (electrical)gung-hoGuineasquire / esquireguerrillaground zerogringogreen roomgraveyard / swing shiftGothamgossipn—— / n-word Should a White Person Ever Use the N-word?dollar princessgoody two-shoesgolf 8 May 2020It looks different, but the changes are not simply cosmetic. I’ve made some significant changes “under the hood.” All the old content is still here, and the substantive changes are mainly in the discussion forums.It’s now easier to join and post to the discussion forums. There’s a new Captcha system that will, hopefully, weed out the bots that attempt to spam the site. Additionally, I also must approve each new user’s first post.While I’ve done the best I can at troubleshooting problems in advance, let me know if something doesn’t work or you encounter broken links.I’m also engaged in updating and revising the older Big List entries, so you should start to see a steady stream of new and revised posts for various words and phrases. As part of this revision, I’m including much lengthier quotations, and not just the short snippets that you find in most dictionaries, including the Oxford English Dictionary. Since this site is online, I have the luxury of not being constrained by the space limitations that ordinary dictionaries have. Also, I now have access, through Princeton University Library,* to a huge range of databases and materials that were previously unavailable to me. So, I can provide expanded versions of the quotations found in other dictionaries. My thinking here is that not only will the longer quotations provide a clearer understanding of exactly how a word or phrase was used, but the longer quotations place the terms in historical and cultural context, and are often just plain fun to read.* = I mean no disrespect the other university libraries where I have worked—they have been excellent—but Princeton is simply awash with cash, and they use it to purchase access to an ungodly amount of material.

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