How do you pronounce the word route? Does it rhyme with “boot” or “bout”? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “How Do You Pronounce “Route”?” Hi there, you have A Way with Words. Hi, this...
Strictly speaking, the verb insure means to “pay a third party to protect against financial loss,” and ensure means “to make sure” or “make certain” that something occurs. For centuries, however, these words were...
Olivia, a sixth-grader in Somerville, New Jersey, says she and her classmates were flummoxed by a word on their spelling-bee study list: xylyl. It’s a term from chemistry, referring to a group of atoms derived from a liquid called xylene. One...
The word radish derives from Latin radix, meaning “root.” The Latin word is also at the root of the English words radical and eradicate. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Latin “Radix” Is the Root of “Radish,” “Radical,” and...
Jejune, meaning insipid or superficial, comes from the Latin jejunus, meaning empty. The same root gives us jejunum, the part of the small intestine that is usually empty when autopsied. The same idea of emptiness is reflected in the related French...
The painful condition called shingles takes its name from Latin cingulum, meaning belt, because the inflammation often appears as a belt-like band around the torso. The Latin root of cingulum, cingere, meaning “to gird,” is also the source of cinch...