No need to be buttery … we know this Word of the Day Quiz is awesome. Thanks for playing along! If the quiz doesn’t display, please try opening in the Chrome browser. Improve your vocabulary with our Visual Word of the Day videos. Not sure what some of the definitions of these words mean? We found some items (linked below) to help give a little …
Science is real. Science is cool. Science uses a lot of terms that we all think we know. But, do we really know what we are talking about? In the spirit of scientific community and understanding, let’s clear up one big scientific misconception that we all get wrong … Pop quiz: Is it momentum or inertia that keeps you moving? Here’s a hint: In science, inertia is …
Marketing is a big industry, but not many people know what a marketers’ day-to-day entails. If you’re considering marketing as a career path or have recently started a venture of your own and you need some help, we have a list of marketing jargon that you probably need to know. We’ll give you the summary of these terms and some basic how-tos … but our …
If you aren’t immersed in politics on the daily, through social media, the news, or just casual conversation, you might not be aware that the phrase wag the dog has become pretty poignant political jargon. But, how did it end up in the political lexicon and where did this seemingly innocent-sounding idiom come from? Below is our rendition of the brief history of the word trends …
We pored over the data this week of June 29–July 6, 2018, and we got a good look at what words you learned from the news. Whether it was a presidential grammar mistake or an HBO show host’s foray into teen speak, here’s what made folks curious. Ontogeny and phylogeny Paris Hilton tried to stump the internet this week, asking Twitter users to tell her …
Calling all benedicts, farouche folk, and flexitarians: The new Word of the Day Quiz is here! If the quiz doesn’t display, please try opening in the Chrome browser. Improve your vocabulary with our Visual Word of the Day videos. Not sure what some of the definitions of these words mean? We found some items (linked below) to help give a little more context … scupper …
In a world that knows too many details about unimportant matters, one would think that our collective expertise could be certain about something as essential as the days of the week. There is, however, a scholarly (and let’s face it, Marvel fan) debate regarding which goddess of love in Norse mythology is the namesake of “Friday.” Who is Friday named for? It is said that …
There were plenty of calls for civility the week of June 22–29, 2018, but do folks really know what it means? The word was one of the top trending searches on Dictionary.com, but it was far from the only term to spark interest! Eighty-six The ouster of Press Secretary Sarah Sanders from the Red Hen, an eatery in Lexington, Virginia boosted searches for the meaning …
by Kory Stamper published June 26th, 2018When we use dictionaries, we think that we are getting a pure view of language, one uncluttered by spin, by misuse, by shifting context. But, lexicographers like me will tell you that language is context. Every meaning in a dictionary is written based on the contextual uses of a word—and context, like people, can get confusing and messy. In …
Now that you’ve fully summerized, it’s time to get back into the work week and take the new Word of the Day Quiz! If the quiz doesn’t display, please try opening in the Chrome browser. Improve your vocabulary with our Visual Word of the Day videos. Not sure what some of the definitions of these words mean? We found some items (linked below) to help …
From families being separated at the border, to a prominent Republican jumping ship from his party, to Beyonce and Jay-Z dropping new music, take a look at how the news affected searches on Dictionary.com the week of June 15–22, 2018. Concentration camp, illegal alien, cage, la familia, tender age Debates over the separation of children from their parents at the US border have dominated headlines …
When you’re born, the first words you speak are so often mommy or daddy. (In some garbled, gurgled form or another—translation is often required.) So, let’s explore this commonality that connects us all and learn the different words people have come up with to describe their moms, dads, and grandparents. We might just toss in the random uncle, aunt, and cousin, too. Most of these …