There has been a lot of buzz around cicadas recently—you’ve probably heard about Brood X by now (if not, read on). But do you know what a cicada actually is? Are they the same as locusts? Are they all just a kind of grasshopper? Telling cicadas and locusts apart can be a bit complicated, especially since the words are sometimes used interchangeably and the particularly …
The word addict has been around in English since at least the 1500s, adapted from the Latin addictus, meaning “assigned, surrendered.” But the way we talk about people with addiction is changing, and here at Dictionary.com, we’re changing along with it. In a major update to Dictionary.com, our lexicographers have replaced all instances of addict used as a noun with “a person addicted to” or …
Not all things are created equal: some are good, others are better, and only the cream of the crop rise to the level of best. These three words—good, better, and best—are examples of the three forms of an adjective or adverb: positive, comparative, and superlative. What is the positive form? The positive form of an adjective or adverb is the basic form listed in a dictionary—e.g., …
Halloween. Cardi B. And, of course, the goings on in Washington D.C. They all had an effect on Dictionary.com’s trending words list for October 26–November 2, 2018. But, how much and what words? Dig in, and find out! Footages Convinced Cardi B had made up the word footages in an Instagram video, thousands of fans rushed to Dictionary.com to find out whether the “I Like …
