Oxford University Press's
Academic Insights for the Thinking World
The story of rhyme has been told more than once, but though both The OED and The Century Dictionary offer a detailed account of how the word acquired its meaning and form, it may be instructive to follow the discussion that occupied the intellectuals about a hundred and fifty years ago and some time later.
Noah Webster (1758-1843) knew spree and included it in the first edition of his dictionary. He defined spree as “low frolic” and branded it as vulgar.
The Oxford Etymologist shares his monthly gleanings on cob, shark, cowan, and more.
The Oxford Etymologist shares a new explanation for “highfalutin” from a reader of the blog, which, if accepted, “will be a small step forward in the study of word origins.”
“To me, the history of etymologists’ wanderings reads like a thriller: so many naive and clever suggestions, such a blend of ignorance and ingenuity!” The Oxford Etymologist traverses the history of “broke.”
The Oxford Etymologist details the origin and development of the adjective “clever”.
It is amazing how many synonyms for “fool” exist! It is almost funny that fool, the main English word for “a stupid person,” is not native, says the Oxford Etymologist in this week’s exploration of the origins of fools.
Some words are so rare that few people know and even fewer study them. Such is “brocard”, the “outcast” subject of today’s blog post from the Oxford Etymologist.
The Oxford Etymologist casts a glance at a book exploring the history of language and its development that is “definitely worth reading.”
Some words don’t interest anyone. They languish in their obscurity, and even lexicographers miss or ignore them. Yet they too deserve to get their day in court. One such word is “cowan.”
The Oxford Etymologist explores squash, squeeze, and the development of squ- words featuring the infamous s-mobile.
The hero of today’s blog post is the adjective “slow.” No words look less inspiring, but few are more opaque.
A good deal of our scholarship is guesswork, and today’s story deals with the origin and history of the word “guess.”
The Oxford Etymologist’s subject today is the origin of the verb “stink”.
The Oxford Etymologist considers the etymology of the word “peeve.”
The Oxford Etymologist responds to readers comments on his most recent blog post topics.