play video title words of the year 1066
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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play video title words of the year 1066
Words of the Year: 1066

 

English was never the same after the Norman Conquest

play mrs malaprop
What is a malaprop?

 

We'll tell you all the perpendiculars

play video hopefully
Hopefully

 

We believe the popular usage of this word is correct

play video literally
Literally

 

A word that (literally) drives people nuts

play video his or her
Is singular 'they' a better choice?

 

The awkward case of 'his or her'

play video ghost words
How a Ghost Word Appeared in the Dictionary

 

An imaginary word that snuck into the dictionary

play backward index mystery
The True Story of the Backward Index

 

These people needed a computer