Category Archives: Wednesday Word

A Compositor Put All This Together

Posted on November 16, 2022 by Kathy

It’s time for leaf-raking in Northeast Ohio, or for “leaving the leaves,” if you’re ecologically inclined. Leaving the leaves brings thoughts of composting, which is a good use for them. And composting brings to mind its verbal cousins compose, composite, … Continue reading →

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More about Dogs

Posted on November 9, 2022 by Kathy

Just finished reading The Year of the Puppy: How Dogs Become Themselves. Last week, I shared what I learned about altricial species (whose young need a lot of care) and precocial species (whose young are nearly self-sufficient). Near the end … Continue reading →

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Three New Words

Posted on November 2, 2022 by Kathy

I learned three new words so far by reading Alexandra Horowitz’s The Year of the Puppy: How Dogs Become Themselves. Horowitz, a dog cognition researcher, decided for the first time in her life to adopt a puppy, not an older … Continue reading →

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Fingers and Flowers

Posted on October 26, 2022 by Kathy

Last week we arrived at the word digital by tracing the history of movie projection. No longer is actual film run through a movie projector. Nowadays, pretty much all theaters use digital projection. How did we get from digits as … Continue reading →

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Movies, Cinema, and Film

Posted on October 19, 2022 by Kathy

I had a good word etymology to write about today but neglected to write it down and forgot what it was. I asked my husband if there are any words whose history he wondered about. “Movies,” he said. He added … Continue reading →

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Valete! (Be Strong, Y’All!)

Posted on October 12, 2022 by Kathy

Dr. Anthony Fauci recently appeared on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. To tout the new Covid booster, the two men strolled to a nearby Walgreens, where Dr. F. took one for the team. In his left arm, that is. … Continue reading →

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“Camera” Redux

Posted on October 6, 2022 by Kathy

You might remember our Wednesday Word camera from a few weeks ago. Reader Fran recently took an entirely unnecessary trip to England — a frivolous jaunt with “friends,” not including me — and ran across an Oxford edifice named the … Continue reading →

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Animalia: Some Words That Derive from Animal Names

Posted on September 28, 2022 by Kathy

The Canary Islands, one would imagine, were overrun with canaries. But, no, they were overrun with wild dogs, or canes in Latin. The birds were named for the islands. Capricious comes from the Italian word for “goat”: capro. A Roman … Continue reading →

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Days, Diets, and Divinities

Posted on September 21, 2022 by Kathy

Thursday of this week marks the autumnal equinox. Autumnus in Latin word names the fall season we’re about to enter. Equinox combines two Latin words: the adjective aequus, which means “equal,” and the noun nox, which means “night.” As you … Continue reading →

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Bee Lines

Posted on September 14, 2022 by Kathy

A beekeeper can also be called an apiarist. These two words demonstrate how the English language developed on different tracks. Bee derives from the Germanic roots of English, related to Dutch bij and German Beie. The api- words derive from … Continue reading →

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