Oh, Florida. Filled with gorgeous beaches from coast to coast, prolific fresh produce, and sunshine all year, Florida is known as a great place to vacation, live, and retire. It’s also known for being a wee bit of unconventional. No offense to the 27th state in our great nation, but it does seem to be the setting for more than its fair share of, let’s …
Video games have come a long way over the years. They hit the scene in the 1970s with basic graphics but have morphed into sophisticated works of art that cover every genre. Throughout their evolution, we’ve been introduced to a fascinating cast of characters who star in these games. They range from lifelike personalities to strange and wonderful creatures that spring from the imaginations of …
There are only two official languages in the Philippines, a nation in Southeast Asia: English and Filipino, which is a standardized form of Tagalog, a language indigenous to the islands. Over the years, Tagalog speakers have adopted countless words and expressions into their language, resulting in a unique dialect: Taglish (a combination of Tagalog and English). But the exchange has gone the other way, too. …
Schools are ground zero for alphabet soup—educators seemingly love to name things using acronyms. STEM, GPA, KWL. While all of this jargon can seem kind of daunting, it’s not too bad once you learn the ropes. And we are here to help. So, get out your pencil and notebook, raise your hand for roll call, and prepare for School Acronyms 101. STEM You may think …
Black Lives Matter is a powerful political and social movement aiming to ensure basic human rights for Black people. Many people are familiar with the name of the movement as it is used amid protests against violence inflicted on Black people involving police officers, including the death of George Floyd in 2020. As the movement has expanded all around the world, many may not know …
by John Kelly, Senior Research Editor at Dictionary.com The situation of the coronavirus outbreak is changing fast. And news and information about the disease can be overwhelming, not least of which are the many new, confusing, and technical terms being used about the outbreak. Understanding these terms is essential to helping people stay informed and safe—and we take seriously our role in defining and explaining …
We love the earth, it’s beautiful, amazing … and it needs our help. The phrase Earth Day originated in 1969. It means “a day’s observance of the need to protect the Earth’s environment, in many countries on April 22.” The first Earth Day was organized by Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin in 1970. He was upset that politics and media were not addressing the concerns of our …
There comes a time in every parent’s life when the Harry Potter books and movies take over your household! Whether you’re a reading family or a movie-watching family or maybe doing a bit of both, here’s a twist on our Disney Movie Word Challenge to engage your children and boost their vocabulary at the same time! Minerva McGonagall and Albus Dumbledore would definitely approve. First, …
Let’s face it: There’s never a bad time to educate your kids on some of the classic movies from “the good old days.” Yes, we are talking about ’80s movies, films made back when everything was gnarly, and you steered clear of anything that seemed bogus. Want to add an extra dash of education into the mix? We’ve got you! Introducing part two of the Dictionary.com …
If your television or tablet has been taken over by non-stop Disney movies, you’re not alone. Screen time is increasing in plenty of households as parents try to make do with schools closing while working from home. Before you start wringing your hands and getting down on yourself, we’ve got a little bit of good news: Kids’ minds don’t have to be frozen by all …
What do you do when you want to say “goodbye” to something (or someone), but don’t really feel the good part of that sentiment? Whether you’re late to a meeting and stuck on the phone, or just nodding your head in mock agreement as someone prattles on endlessly (with no clue they lost you 10 minutes ago), we’d like to offer you advice. It’s true, …
Sometimes we’re at a loss for words, not because we’re speechless, but because no English term lends itself to the situation (or snack) at hand. At those times, we turn to other languages, celebrating them for the concepts we wish we could express so easily in English. Here are some of our favorite words from the Portuguese language. saudade This untranslatable Portuguese term refers to …
