The sideways figure-eight shape used as the infinity symbol is a lemniscate (lem-NIS-kit or lem-NIS-kayt). The word comes from a Greek word meaning “ribbon” or “bow,” a nod to the shape’s resemblance to a tied ribbon. It also turns up in...
The practice of blurring out images or text in ads, movies, and websites is called greeking. It’s possibly a reference to the phrase It’s Greek to me, used to describe something unintelligible. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
What’s the word for the smell of rain? It’s petrichor. For years, scientists referred to this evidence of rain as argillaceous odor because it was particularly noticeable near soil with a lot of whitish clay called argil. Then, in the...
It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog is an example of the rhetorical device called antimetabole, from Greek words that mean “a turning about.” Other examples include When the going...
The Sierra Madera Astrobleme is a meteorite crater in Pecos County, Texas. Astrobleme derives from ancient Greek words that mean “a wound caused by a missile.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Astrobleme”...
Here’s a neologism used to describe someone possessed of effortless attractiveness or style: rizz. It’s a shortening of charisma, a word that goes back to ancient Greek. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “It...