Clock and cloak are basically the same word. What do they have in common? Bells!

The word clock originally referred to a bell and by extension came to refer to the timekeeping mechanism found in bell towers. Or should I say clock towers?

A cloak was given that name because of its bell shape.

#words #etymology
The word, triumvirate, implies the existence of biumvirate or uniumvirate or maybe even just an umvirate.

What Is Serendipity?

We often credit unexpected events to serendipity. But who amongst us knows The Three Princes of Serendip, the tale from which the word derives?

By: Emily Zarevich

https://daily.jstor.org/what-is-serendipity/

The Three Princes of Serendip:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Three_Princes_of_Serendip

I had cause to find out whether or not #English has a noun form of the word "facetious." Apparently, it's "facetiousness," which is goldang BORING.

Therefore, in consideration of #etymology, I propose a new English noun:

FACETIA,

meaning: jests, jokes, witticisms.

Example sentence:

Donald Trump has little comprehension of well-structured witticisms; the minutiae of intelligent facetia escape him.

#language
#linguistics

Trying to find a nonbinary equivalent to incubus/succubus for D&D, I looked up the etymology.

Both prefixes are from Latin: "suc-" meaning "under," "in-" meaning "over," and the Latin root "cubare" meaning "to lie down."

Following that, I'd propose a nonbinary fiend of similar type would be a concubus, as "con-" is a Latin root meaning "beside."

Because you shouldn't have to conform to the gender binary to be a soul-stealing, umm... actually nvm.

Among others used in English: Canoe, totem, muskeg, toboggan, skunk. #langsky #firstnations #indigenous #languages #english #etymology

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:f4cdamkd6zhyexfznjwraqal/post/3ltfp2gzndk2h

A new map in our section of animals: hedgehog
https://mapologies.com/animals/

I never knew this was the history of the saying! #etymology

"Emoji are not a language, that much is clear. They are something more intriguing and more disruptive than that."

Read an excerpt of @shadychars's new book, FACE WITH TEARS OF JOY (), which tells the entire history of emoji so far

https://longreads.com/2025/07/01/emoji-language-keith-houston/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

"preternatural" comes from Latin, combin "praeter," meaning "beyond" or "outside of," and "naturam," which means "nature."

Literally means "beyond what is natural."

Used to describe something that seems outside the normal course of nature, almost supernatural but not quite.

Brother to Bruh: How Gen Alpha slang has its origins in the 16th century

#etymology #linguistics

https://www.npr.org/2025/06/25/nx-s1-5443929/bruh-meaning-explained-word

Rice was first cultivated in the Far East as early as 10,000 years ago. From there, rice cultivation gradually spread westward. This movement is mirrored by the journey of the word for rice across languages. In English, the word rice comes from Old French ris, which was borrowed from Old Italian riso. That, in turn, derives from Byzantine Greek ὄρυζα (óruza).

Source: https://mapologies.com/cereals

#mapologies #map #etymology#etymologymap #languages #cereals #rice #food #lingustics #words #history

The existence of the name Westenra implies the existence of the names Nordenra, Südenra, and Ostenra.

These are the Himmelsrichtungenras (cardinal directionras).

#linguistics
#etymology
#German

The word “plaintiff” comes from the Old French term “plaintif,” which meant “complaining” or “making a complaint.”

That, in turn, derived from the Latin word “plangere,” meaning “to lament” or “to bewail.”

Eventually, in legal contexts, it came to mean the person who brings a complaint or lawsuit against another party in court.

Hello friends. It is Monday. My area has a break from the heat this week, which is likely to be replaced by daily afternoon rain, hail, and thunderstorms. That is our usual “monsoon” weather pattern, although it feels a bit early this year.

According to the National Weather Service, the word “monsoon” comes from the Arabic word “mausim” or “mawsim” which means “season”. So when we say “monsoon season”, we are actually saying “season season”.

The fact that people from the USA say 'Bounce house' and Brits say 'Bouncy castle' EITHER illustrates British fondness for aristocracy OR Americans' deficiency in whimsy. Or both.