TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Lady
Why do we call women ladies? Well, etymologically-speaking, the word comes from the Old English words for hlaf (bread) and daege (maid), which, combined, mean the female head of the household and eventually indicated high social...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Robot
In 1920, Czech writer Karel Capek wrote a play about human-like machines, thereby inventing the term robot from the Central European word for forced labor. Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel explain how the science fiction staple earned its...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Bewilder
The history of the word bewilder is more straightforward than you might think. Roots can be traced back to the Old English words wilde (undomesticated) and deor (untamed animals), eventually combined into the word wilderness. Jessica...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Keister
Originally meaning a woven container, the word keister has roots all over the place. The devil's tool box? Sure. A safe? That too. So, how did it become associated with the buttocks? Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel get to the bottom of...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Sarcophagus
Dating back to the early Roman Empire, the word sarcophagus originally referred to the limestone a coffin was made of, rather than the coffin itself. From flesh-eating stone to a stone coffin, Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel unbury the...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Fizzle
From a stinky and crude inception, the word fizzle's history is nothing to poo poo at. Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel track the road from flatulence to its modern meaning of a failure or weak ending. [1:50]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Quarantine
Stemming from the days of bubonic plague in Medieval Europe, quarantines were originally used to prevent potentially plague-infested ships from disembarking at a port city. Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel explain how the length of the...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Gorgeous
From whirlpools and ravines to superlative beauty, what is the trajectory of the word gorgeous? Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel reveal the surprising variations in meaning. [2:00]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Window
Metaphoric compounds, like the combination of the words wind and eye to represent a window, populated Norse and Old English. Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel describe how this love of metaphor created the word window. [1:57]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Venom
How did venom get its poisonous meaning? Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel follow venom from something to desire to explicit reasons for avoiding a snake. [2:02]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Dynamite
With an explosive meaning, the word dynamite's past is as historical as it is etymological. Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel describe how Alfred Nobel invented dynamite. [2:14]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Inaugurate
From avian omens to the beginning of a new policy or the reign of a new politician, Jessica Oreck follows the flight path of the word inaugurate. [2:08]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Earwig
An earwig is neither an ear nor a wig; it is an insect. Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel explain how folklore gave this bug its name, combining entomology with etymology. [2:16]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Tuxedo
How did tuxedo's roots extend from Native American history to black tie evening wear? Jessica Oreck reveals what the Delaware Indians and formal fashion have in common. [2:04]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Miniature
Miniature's root may be Latin, but its meaning is rooted in books, where red pigment was used to denote chapter breaks. Jessica Oreck explains how we got from there to the meaning of miniature today: something smaller than others of its...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Noise
The words noise, nausea, and naval all stem from the same Latin root. Jessica Oreck divulges how their spellings and meanings diverged from the original naus. [2:02]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Hearse
Today, we recognize the word hearse as a vehicle that carries a coffin to a funeral. Jessica Oreck explains how this word has, at various times, described a wolf, a rake, and a frame, eventually landing at its meaning today. [2:13]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Yankee
Is it a doodle dandy? A baseball team? The origins of the word yankee are unclear, though its usage in America as a pejorative is well-documented. Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel track the varying levels of contempt that the word yankee...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Jade
Now known for its beauty and green hue, the stone jade was previously thought to espouse magical properties, such as kidney treatment. Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel explain the word's travels from 15th century to Spain to today. [2:07]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: What Makes Something "Kafkaesque"?
The term Kafkaesque has entered the vernacular to describe unnecessarily complicated and frustrating experiences, especially with bureaucracy. But does standing in a long line to fill out confusing paperwork really capture the richness...
University of Calgary
University of Calgary: Language in the Middle Ages
Article discusses the rise of vernacular language in the late Middle Ages. Covers reasons vernacular language grew and what the conditions were.
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning: American Lit:the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Vocabulary
This lesson focuses on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn vocabulary by providing a list of vocabulary terms and definitions and a crossword puzzle to test your understanding of the terms.
Other
An Introduction to Early Modern European History
An excellent introduction to and overview of the Renaissance and Reformation in Europe. This article touches on all aspects of the period.
Countries and Their Cultures
Countries and Their Cultures: Syriacs
Syriac is a branch of the Aramaic family of languages and was the lingua franca of the eastern Roman Empire at the beginning of the Christian era. It is also spoken extensively in the regions farther east. It became the language of...