Category Archives: Wednesday Word

Viva la Etymology

Posted on March 8, 2023 by Kathy

I just learned about a restaurant whose mission includes “conviviality,” in addition to good food and service. Naturally, the Latin root word came to mind. Vivere is Latin for “to live.” Think of some other -viv- words, and chances are … Continue reading →

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March 1, 2023

Posted on March 1, 2023 by Kathy

March, or Martius, was the Romans’ first month of the year for a long time. Mars received this honor because he was the father of Rome’s founders, Romulus and Remus. (Their mother was Rhea Silvia, a Vestal Virgin raped by … Continue reading →

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Keep Calm and Eat Pączki

Posted on February 22, 2023 by Kathy

If you live in the Cleveland area, chances are you’ve heard of pączki (pronounced poonch-kee), fried Polish pastries filled with jam or custard. Pączki means “package,” or, more precisely, “packages,” because pączki is plural. Pączek is the singular form. Cleveland … Continue reading →

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February, St. Valentine, and Goat Skins

Posted on February 15, 2023 by Kathy

The Roman priests called Luperci celebrated the Lupercalia, a fertility and purification festival on February 15 by striking women with goatskin strips called februa. This word gives us the name of our shortest month, as well as its odd spelling … Continue reading →

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Nickname History

Posted on February 8, 2023 by Kathy

What does the word tawdry have in common with the name Ned? Care to hazard a guess? Ned is, in a way, a misunderstanding. According to folk etymology, the name derives from the common usage of Mine Edward as an … Continue reading →

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A Casual Post

Posted on February 1, 2023 by Kathy

Gum-chewing drives some people to distraction, while split infinitives irritate others. One idiosyncratic bee in my own bonnet is the meaning of casualties. I’ve even taken a stand on the issue. Some years ago, I wrote a letter to National … Continue reading →

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Sub Rosa

Posted on January 17, 2023 by Kathy

On Monday, I shared the secret ingredient in my coffee cake with you all. Don’t tell my housemates, because they shun yogurt and sour cream. Mention using bacteria in order to “culture” milk? You should see the looks on their … Continue reading →

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Seeking an End

Posted on January 11, 2023 by Kathy

Like the books I read, Wednesday Words are somewhat randomly chosen, today’s especially so. Over the weekend, I ran across a video of the 60s Australian folk group The Seekers singing “I Know I’ll Never Find Another You.” The concert … Continue reading →

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A Sense of Humors

Posted on January 4, 2023 by Kathy

From ancient times well into the 19th century, Westerners believed that four bodily fluids governed human personality and health. These fluids, called humors, derived from the four elements–earth, fire, water, and air—because these four elements composed everything. The Latin word … Continue reading →

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A Humorous Post

Posted on December 29, 2022 by Kathy

The medieval apothecary could not be trusted to prepare prescriptions correctly, remember? (We wrote about this here a couple of weeks ago.) While he might substitute an equally effective medication, he might instead slip a cheaper, even poisonous herb into … Continue reading →

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