Ye olde word Adithya Mohan
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- Science
A podcast about words, phrases, their origins and histories.
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Companion and Comrade
What do the words companion and mate have in common with food? What is a Calque? Listen to this episode to find out!
Sources:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/history-of-word-companion
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/companion#:~:text=companion%20(plural%20companions),accompany%20or%20travel%20with%20another.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mate
https://www.smh.com.au/national/mate-what-s-the-history-of-our-most-treasured-salutation-20210513-p57rhk.html
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comrade -
Explode
What do ancient theatre goers of Rome and the word explode have in common? Listen to the episode to find out!
Sources:
https://mashedradish.com/2017/03/28/the-dramatic-roots-of-explode/
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/explode -
Janus words
What are words which contradict themselves called? Fast means to go fast, but, to stand fast means to not move at all. Listen to this episode to understand such words!
Sources:
https://medium.com/@jackashepherd/these-extremely-cool-words-mean-the-opposite-of-themselves-8e4f5fd63cd3
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/words-own-opposites#:~:text=A%20'Janus%20word'%20is%20a,antagonyms%2C%20or%20auto%2Dantonyms.
https://blog.maltalingua.com/what-are-janus-words/
https://www.economist.com/culture/2022/09/08/some-words-have-two-opposite-meanings-why
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janus#:~:text=In%20ancient%20Roman%20religion%20and,named%20for%20Janus%20(Ianuarius).
https://www.andersonlock.com/blog/god-doors/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto-antonym#:~:text=An%20auto%2Dantonym%20or%20autantonym,or%20%22to%20bind%20together%22. -
William Dampier
What is the difference between a pirate and a privateer? What link has the pirate William Dampier has to guacomole, mango chutney, and to Charles Darwin? Listen to the episode to find out!
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Dampier
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Selkirk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Hatley
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/eat-like-a-pirate
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/first-food-writer
https://ocean.si.edu/human-connections/exploration/william-dampier-pirate-who-collected-plants
https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/arrival-of-english-explorer-william-dampier
https://www.britannica.com/story/pirates-privateers-corsairs-buccaneers-whats-the-difference#:~:text=A%20privateer%20was%20a%20pirate,belonging%20to%20a%20rival%20country.
https://blog.marinersmuseum.org/2012/09/the-difference-between-pirates-privateers-and-buccaneers-pt-1/ -
Words from Greek myth-Part I
What does the word cereal and panic have to do with Greek mythology? Listen to the episode to find out!
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceres_(dwarf_planet)
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cereal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_(god)
https://drhoffman.com/article/the-origin-of-panic-3/
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/the-mythological-origin-of-panic
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronos
https://www.etymonline.com/word/victory
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_(mythology)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike_(mythology)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oceanus -
Humour
Are the words humid and humour related? What does the word melancholy have to do with bile? Listen to the episode to find out!
Sources:
https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/the-origin-of-the-word-humor/
https://www.britannica.com/science/humor-ancient-physiology
https://uselessetymology.com/2017/11/29/the-etymology-of-humor/
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/112655/how-did-the-word-humor-which-originally-represented-bodily-fluids-end-up-rep
https://www.thecolourworks.com/hippocrates-galen-the-four-humours/