Dictionaries
Wednesday Feb 1st, 2012
The deep roots of gaiety
by Anatoly Liberman
The question about the origin of gay “homosexual” has been asked and answered many times (and always correctly), so that we needn’t expect sensational discoveries in this area. The adjective gay, first attested in Middle English, is of French descent; in the fourteenth century it meant both “joyous” and “bright; showy.” The OED gives no attestations of gay “immoral” before 1637. read more »
Tuesday Jan 24th, 2012
Dictionary droids write definitions untouched by human hands
There’s a new breed of dictionary, untouched by human hands.
Friday Jan 20th, 2012
The invented languages of Clockwork Apples and Oranges
Nadsat versus grrrl-powered wordplay
Wednesday Jan 18th, 2012
An Etymological Headache
To an etymologist ache is one of the most enigmatic words.
