The word 'funambulist,' originating from Latin for 'rope walker,' describes individuals who exhibit exceptional balance and ...

THERE has been a remarkable surge of global interest in Japan recently, a trend most visibly evidenced by the dramatic influx of tourists. Filipino travelers, in particular, are arriving in record ...

American football, the game played at the Super Bowl, where a foot is rarely used to direct the ball. And elsewhere in the ...

The word "scrumptious," originating in early 19th-century British slang, describes something extremely pleasing, especially to the taste. While primarily used for exquisite food, it also conveys ...

Eleven English words of Japanese origin were added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) in its revision last December. The ...

In this installment of NPR's "Word of the Week" series we trace the origins of the "cravat" (borrowed from the French ...

"Lesbian" is a demonym for the inhabitants of the Greek island of Lesbos, so why does it today describe female homosexuality?

Beacon Journal readers ask about the origin of common sayings such as ‘getting off scot-free’ and ‘a chip off the old block.’ ...

Fuddy-duddy is a fun English word for someone old-fashioned or cautious. It describes people who avoid new trends but are ...

Word of the day: FATTER Pronunciation: fet·ter UK/ ˈfet.ər/ and US /ˈfet̬.ɚ/ As a noun, 'fetter' means a chain or shackle ...

It's not just the quintessential corporate jargon word. "Synergy" goes back hundreds of years, with history in Christianity, ...