Two important Muslim holidays stand out as some of the most important dates on the Islamic calendar: Eid al-Fitr in the spring and Eid al-Adha in the summer. They are separate festivals, and each commemorates a different pillar in the Five Pillars of Islam. However, both are commonly shortened to simply Eid, and the greeting Eid Mubarak (roughly meaning “Happy Eid” or “Blessed Eid”) can be used for both. …
Along with presents and beautifully decorated trees, the holidays deliver the blessing of movies that are part of many family traditions! From Miracle on 34th Street to Elf, these are the movies we watch over and over again every holiday season. (Ready for that Christmas Story marathon? We are!) These beloved classics are chockablock with dialogue we have heard so many times… but do we really …
In the United States, the debt ceiling is often a major source of heated debate among members of Congress. Often, the president also finds themself brought into the debt ceiling battle. If you don’t follow politics or economics too closely, you might be wondering what the heck the debt ceiling is. Is it really so important that Congress needs to fight about it seemingly every …
German can be daunting to English speakers, with its mile-long mouthfuls like Rechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaft (“a legal protection insurance company”). But it’s easy to forget that English is a Germanic language. Historically, the two languages are closely related in core vocabulary (compare English arm and German der Arm), sound system, and structure (if we look at Old English grammar). What’s more, many familiar English words, from angst …
Spoiler alert: it is not by saying, “Yeah, well life’s not fair!” Children are not immune to the inequalities and injustices of the world. Sometimes they see more of what is going on around them than their parents and caregivers give them credit for. That being said, sometimes kids still respond to something as simple as not getting their way with cries of inequity. As …
As Leo Tolstoy wrote in the classic Anna Karenina, “spring is the time of plans and projects.” To put it more bluntly, spring is a time of new growth, new experiences, and, in most of the world, temperamental weather. To encourage your personal growth during this season of change, why not try out some of these sophisticated vocabulary terms related to spring? verdurous Verdurous is …
The pronunciation of words in English is not always straightforward. Unlike some languages, such as French or Spanish, there is not always a direct relationship between the spelling of words and how they are said aloud. In technical terms, there is not always a consistent relationship between graphemes (basically, writing units) and their phonemes (sounds) in English. There are a couple of reasons for this. The English …
Every year, Muslims around the world observe Ramadan by fasting during the daylight hours for 30 days. It’s a tradition written into the Qur’an itself, and Ramadan is one of the most important months for followers of Islam. From when it starts (the date changes every year with respect to the Gregorian calendar) to the strict set of dietary rules for the month, here’s what …
When it comes to disease, we’re more and more aware of symptoms, prevention, treatments, and long-term effects. But there’s another, often less-considered factor that can have far-reaching consequences for public health: a disease’s name. What we call a disease—both popularly and officially—can affect how people perceive it, whether they understand how its spread can be prevented, and whether they seek treatment for it. The fact …
The George Floyd protests brought attention to the word systemic—among many other powerful words that speak to this historic time—like never before. Many activists and public officials are calling to dismantle the systemic racism in policing and other social institutions that are disproportionately killing and oppressing Black people. These calls, and our broader cultural conversation around them, have stoked significant interest in—and considerable confusion around—the …
Our 2018 Word of the Year Is … Misinformation The rampant spread of misinformation poses new challenges for navigating life in 2018. As a dictionary, we believe understanding the concept is vital to identifying misinformation in the wild, and ultimately curbing its impact. But what does misinformation mean? Dictionary.com defines it as “false information that is spread, regardless of whether there is intent to mislead.” The …
People around the world have been fascinated by dragons for millennia. From the snake-like dragons of the East to the dinosaur-like dragons of the West, we just can’t get enough of these gargantuan reptiles! They feature prominently in myths and legends (like St. George slaying a fearsome dragon or the Norse hero Sigurd battling the terrifying dragon Fafnir), and even after all of these years, dragons …
