Is there a connection between the ancient Greek muse and the word amused? No. The muses were mythological figures who inspired the likes of Homer, while amuse comes from the Latin word for “staring stupidly,” as in, “to be...
What’s it called when a fit of sneezing takes hold? Try ptarmosis, from the Greek ptarmos for “sneeze.” Or sternutamentum, meaning rapid, spasmodic sneezing. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Sneezing...
Liam from Dallas, Texas, asks what to call more than one Cyclops after a game raised the problem of naming an army of one-eyed mythical monsters. The most common plural is cyclopes, pronounced sye-KLOH-peez, reflecting the word’s Greek roots in...
The words respiration and inspiration have the same Latin root, spirare, which means “to breathe.” The word conspire also shares that etymological root. But what does conspiring have to do with breathing? The source of this term is notion that...
Martha and Grant share some favorite unusual words. Omphaloskepsis is a fancy term for “navel-gazing,” from the Greek omphalos, meaning “navel.” Mumbleteenth is a handy substitute when a number is too embarrassing to mention...
Aesthetes might go for kalology, or “the study of beauty.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Kalology” I tested you on aletheology earlier and you got it right. It was the study of truth. Yes. How about this...