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Word History

Words of the Year: 1066

Why is pig meat called 'pork' and cow meat called 'beef?' Because English took on a big serving of French words following the Norman Conquest.


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Words of the Year: 1066

 

English was never the same after the Norman Conquest

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A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia

 

Some imitative words are more surprising than others

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Video: Why is there a 'c' in 'indict'?

 

And who put it there, anyway?

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Lay vs. Lie

 

Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.

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When Body Parts Are Also Verbs

 

Head, shoulders, metaphors, and toes

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What Is 'Semantic Bleaching'?

 

How 'literally' can mean "figuratively"

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On Contractions of Multiple Words

 

You all would not have guessed some of these