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: 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: Mining Literature for Deeper Meanings
Writing a great English paper can be tough because literature doesn't always reveal its deeper meanings immediately. Amy E. Harter offers a few tips on how to read and write more critically and thoughtfully. [4:12]
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: What Is Verbal Irony?
In the final of a three part series on irony, Christopher Warner gets into the irony you may use most often and most casually: verbal irony. [3:29]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: In on a Secret? That's Dramatic Irony
Christopher Warner identifies the storytelling device of dramatic irony. [2:50]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Slowing Down Time (In Writing & Film)
Certain moments in our lives seem to last forever. Whether it is a first kiss or a car crash, time can seem to stretch or even stop. Aaron Sitze explains how this sensation is conveyed in cinema and how the same conventions can be used...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Tales of Passion
Author and activist Isabel Allende discusses women, creativity, the definition of feminism, and, of course, passion in this Talk. [18:30]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Why Is There a "B" in Doubt?
Say the word "doubt" aloud. What is that "b" doing there? Does it have any purpose? Gina Cooke explains the long and winding history of "doubt" and why the spelling, though it seems random, is a wink to its storied past. [3:28]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Are You the Girl From "The Wonder Years"?
After a childhood spent acting a pretty iconic role, Danica McKellar learned that she was capable of being more than just Winnie Cooper. [3:30]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: The Elliptical Pool Table: A Mathematician's Dream
Learn what an elliptical pool table can teach us about mathematics. [3:40]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Can You Solve the Three Gods Riddle?
You and your team have crash-landed on an ancient planet. Can you appease the three alien overlords who rule it and get your team safely home? Created by logician Raymond Smullyan, and popularized by his colleague George Boolos, this...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: A Brief History of Numerical Systems
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 0. With just these ten symbols, we can write any rational number imaginable. But why these particular symbols? Why ten of them? And why do we arrange them the way we do? Alessandra King gives a brief history...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Can You Solve the Counterfeit Coin Riddle?
You're the realm's greatest mathematician, but ever since you criticized the Emperor's tax laws, you've been locked in the dungeon. Luckily for you, one of the Emperor's governors has been convicted of paying his taxes with a counterfeit...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: How High Can You Count on Your Fingers? Spoiler:much Higher Than 10
How high can you count on your fingers? It seems like a question with an obvious answer. After all, most of us have ten fingers- or to be more precise, eight fingers and two thumbs. This gives us a total of ten digits on our two hands,...