Urning
n.— «Karl Ulrichs was a civil servant in the small city-state of Hanover…As early as 1862 he had coined the word “Urning” to describe a male sexually attracted to other males, which he believed derived from a kind of intersexuality in some brains. The English translation is “Uranian.” This term&mash;based on a myth in Plato’s “Sym posium” that referred to a god dess of men who love men—was picked up and used throughout Europe and England.» —“The love that dared to speak its name” by Leslie Feinberg Workers World (New York City) June 10, 2004. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
The word filibuster has a long and colorful history, going back to the days when pirates roamed the high seas. Today it refers to hijacking a piece of legislation. Plus, the language of yoga teachers: When doing a guided meditation, you may hear...
After our conversation about towns with extremely short names, many listeners wrote to tell us about Why, Arizona. Others pointed out that there are towns called Ely in Iowa, Minnesota, and Nevada. Other super-short appellations include Rye, New...