etymology

20 Words You Didn’t Know Were Inspired by People

Given that all we do is write about culture all day, we at Flavorpill are always fascinated by words and the tricksy ways they come to be. Recently, we’ve been thinking about the etymology of common words, particularly the ones that can be traced back to specific people in history, whether authors, scientists, or just wealthy estate agents who were, well, boycotted by the town around them. Here are twenty common words that originated as people’s names — add your favorite to the list in the… Read More

The Stories Behind Words Told in Beautiful Paper Animations

We’re dedicated word-nerds here at Flavorpill, so it’s no surprise that we’re head over heels in love with Mysteries of Vernacular, a great project from Myriapod Productions that tells the etymological stories behind common words through gorgeous, smoothly narrated papercraft animations. Currently, there are only videos for four words, but eventually the project will cover all 26 letters of the alphabet, and needless to say, we can’t wait. See a few of our favorites from the current offerings after the jump, and if you want to hurry the process along, you might consider making a donation. … Read More

Contemporary Slang Words That Might Be Older Than You Think

It’s a known fact that the English language is constantly evolving, and words can take on new and different meanings from month to month, not to mention year to year or even century to century. Recently, we stumbled across this great thread at MetaFilter discussing current-sounding phrases that have been around for much longer than we think, so we did a little digging of our own to see which of our most everyday, contemporary slang words are actually rebranded anachronisms from the good old days. Click through to read a few of our findings, and if you’ve got the inside scoop, please be sure to add to our collection in the comments. … Read More