Seconds after the ball descended from the sky in NYC, my mind began to wander to the world of language. As my surrounding company began to whisper 2010 resolutions, I started to consider which word I should choose to define my new year. After some quick yet careful thinking, I selected “fresh” from the imaginary [...]
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: definition, fresh, language, merriam webster, new year, word
When you make the choice to create your own business adventure, you can identify with the following tags: independent, freelancer, consultant and last but not least, an entrepreneur.
“Entrepreneur” is probably noted in your bio, on your business card, and part of your elevator pitch, but did you ever stop to think what the word actually [...]
Tagged: definition of entrepreneur, entrepreneur, freelance, independent, merriam webster, online etymology dictionary, what is an entrepreneur |
There are some words that truly bring to a smile to my face, and “hooray” is definitely one of them. It not only carries a sense of joy with its meaning, but also with its pronunciation. Like a slice of lemon to a meal or the color red to a wall, “hooray” brightens any sentence.
Our [...]
Tagged: battle-cry, etymology, hooray, language, merriam webster, online etymology dictionary, words
Before the days of video games and facebook, most children could be found hanging from monkey bars, pumping their feet on the swings, and building larger than their life castles in the sand box. All of the latter activities were not controlled by a joystick or viewed from a couch, but actually happened in real [...]
Tagged: children, merriam webster, play, playground, recreation, sand box, swing
During your middle school years, you sincerely tried to avoid earning a bad “reputation” so that the teachers didn’t report any poor behavior to your parents. Now, your “reputation” is multifaceted and can vary amongst social circles, places of work, home, friends, etc. In addition to your actions in person (maybe you shouldn’t have thrown [...]
Tagged: merriam webster, online etymology dictionary, reputation
Ever since I applied my first shade of Bonne Bell lip gloss in middle school, I’ve had a love/hate relationship with “makeup.” I enjoy the colors and art form, but I always debate about concealing vs. enhancing. So, I thought I would bring that debate back to the surface today and take a closer look at [...]
Tagged: beauty, etymology, makeover, makeup, merriam webster, online etymology dictionary, word
As I’m sitting here typing on my lovely friend’s computer, I feel quite moved to delve into the word “friend.” Over the years, my definition of “friend” has varied from the girl who shared her toys with me, to the girls that whispered middle school secrets over the phone late at night, to the women [...]
Tagged: etymology, friend, merriam webster, word
I’ve been known to throw some slanguage around now and then, what can I say, I’m from Philly. I thoroughly enjoy scholarly pieces just as much as the pop culture blogs overflowing with the newly created words of the moment. So I thought I would start a weekly “sunday slanguage” post to spice up the [...]
Categories: etymology, sunday slanguage
Tagged: etymology, language, merriam webster, online etymology dictionary, slang, slanguage, words
As a follow up to yesterday’s post, I thought I would explore the word, “t-shirt.”
They hang in your closet, are folded in your drawer, or are in a pile in the corner of your room. They’re worn in, trusty, cotton friends that can last through the years. But did you ever stop to think about what [...]
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: american apparel, dictionary, etymology, merriam webster, shirt, t-shirt, tee shirt, training shirt, word
Word lovers, raise your pencil, your pen, your laptop and your journal (not your desktop-please no injuries) to the dictionary, my favorite book. It comes in all shapes, sizes (extra large and super small), colors, languages, topics and can be found on a shelf and online. I’ve certainly collected quite a few dictionaries over [...]
Tagged: dictionary, etymology, merriam webster, online dictionary
Some people intently watch ESPN to see which players will be drafted to their favorite teams, while I anticipate the time when Merriam-Webster adds new words to the dictionary (I am an utter word nerd and proud of it).
The last word party kicked off in 2006, when Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate® Dictionary, Eleventh Edition was filled to [...]
Categories: new words
Tagged: dictionary, language, merriam webster, new words, words
Unless you live under a rock, then you’ve heard and read about “gas,” the hot topic and three-letter word of the moment. This one syllable wonder is dominating conversations and is dripping with anger and passion, as many are now cursing the word.
According to Merriam Webster, there are several varying definitions of “gas,” both as [...]
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Tagged: chaos, etymology, fuel, gas, J.B, merriam webster, online etymology dictionary, slang, van Helmont, word origin