BeforeWords

BeforeWords
  • 4.9 (88)
  • LANGUAGE LEARNING

Join us as we take a dive into words with unique etymologies.

  1. 08/11/2020

    Episode 15 - Sinister

    When we describe someone as sinister we think of them as evil, manipulative, and sociopathic; all descriptions of a troubled mental state. However, through most of our recorded history the term was used to characterize our suspicion of left-handedness.

    7 min

  2. 08/06/2020

    Episode 14 - Nice

    Attending a wedding beckons us to put on attire that might be described as ‘nice’. But would you be truer to the origin of the word if you showed up to a fast food restaurant in a tuxedo?

    6 min

  3. 08/03/2020

    Episode 13 - Dunce

    Was the term 'dunce' and the ensuing corporal punishment—the dunce cap—created for classroom dummies, or does it derive from the name of a great Scottish thinker?

    8 min

  4. 07/26/2020

    Episode 12 - Nightmare

    Sometimes we wake up in the middle of the night, frightened by some dark and scary imagery conjured up by our very own subconscious minds. But with each ‘nightmare’ comes a storied history involving demons, suffocation, and peony-seed wine.

    7 min

  5. 07/21/2020

    Episode 11 - Mortgage

    Signing a mortgage can bring long-term joy to your life, giving you a place to live and raise a family. However, in a twisted sense of irony, you may also be signing a death pledge.

    7 min

  6. 07/16/2020

    Episode 10 - Robot

    Do robots make our lives easier, or do they steal our jobs? Regardless of where we may stand on robots, we have a Czech playwright and a popular science fiction writer to thank for this word.

    7 min

  7. 07/14/2020

    Episode 9 - Tragedy

    The word 'tragedy' generally doesn't evoke happy thoughts. But its Greek origin is oddly amusing, stemming from music...and goats.

    6 min

  8. 07/09/2020

    Episode 8 - Assassin

    During the middle ages, a group of people living in the mountains of northern Iran gave birth to the worlds coolest profession, the assassin. Curiously, they may have carried out their murders while high.

    6 min
See All (15)

4.9
out of 5
88 Ratings

About

Join us as we take a dive into words with unique etymologies.

Information

  • Creator
    BeforeWords
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © BeforeWords
  • Show Website
    BeforeWords