How an obscure term used in anthropology leaped from the pages of academia into the Chinese meme world and then became part ...

Here’s a brain-teaser: the name “Jesus” would have meant absolutely nothing to the man from Nazareth himself. In fact, the letter “J” never existed during his era. For anyone who’s ever wondered how ...

There are more than half a million words in the Oxford English Dictionary. Some trace their origin as far back as the 11th century. For centuries, linguists and academics have kept careful track of ...

Ubique means “everywhere” in Latin, so the verb ubiquit literally means “to become ubiquitous”—or in other words, to seem to appear everywhere. Ever needed the perfect word to describe a neighbor ...

Bindi — This name has multiple meanings, including "little girl" or " butterfly in Australian Aboriginal culture, and "drop" ...

The English language is a treasure trove of words that not only sound beautiful but also convey complex, nuanced meanings.

We often hear fascinating stories about how things originated: the universe, the wheel, even pizza. But when it comes to the words we toss around every single day without a second thought, it’s wild ...

In 2016, I wrote an article entitled These are the 7 Types of Love, which helped spawn several more articles on this topic. At the beginning of that article, I did say that the seven types of love ...

If you have studied almost any European language, you will have noticed words that felt oddly familiar. French mort (dead) recalls English murder. German Hund (dog) is a dead ringer for hound. Czech ...

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or ...

Mark W. Post does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their ...