Names
You can practically glean the history of America in the names of all 50 states. The story of the United States begins in the East and the South and is reflected in the origin of the names of the...
12 days ago
During the coronavirus shutdown many people stuck at home have taken to reading and studying new subjects to pass the time. This has given them an opportunity to improve their vocabularies and their...
1 month ago
If you are one of the 90% of Americans who are staying inside in an attempt to limit the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, you may be running out of ideas about how to stay occupied. There is, after...
3 months ago
If you were born in the ’80s or ’90s, then there’s a good chance your name is — or you know someone whose name is — Jessica, Jennifer, Michael, or Christopher. In the...
8 months ago
Last Updated: 6 months ago
The English language is constantly evolving. As communities absorb different cultures and new ideas emerge, people develop more accurate ways to express themselves. This has been the case for...
8 months ago
Last Updated: 6 months ago
Words sometimes have two meanings, as Led Zeppelin sang in “Stairway to Heaven.” And indeed they often do. Especially, words can acquire new meanings and lose old ones. For example,...
9 months ago
Last Updated: 6 months ago
The English language is constantly changing and adapting to the needs of its users. While new words are created and some old words acquire new meanings, others just fade from use. Of these words we...
9 months ago
Last Updated: 6 months ago
Part of the joy of travel is discovering the background and the story of the country you are visiting. Names of nations can tell you something about a country’s history, geography, legends, and who...
9 months ago
Last Updated: 5 months ago
Nearly 3.8 million babies were born in the United States in 2018. Many of these babies were given names that are currently and have been historically popular, like Emma, William, and James. Others...
9 months ago
Last Updated: 3 months ago
For a dead language, Latin still has plenty of life in it. A dead language is one that’s no longer used as a native tongue. Though there are many more examples around the world, the most famous...
9 months ago
Last Updated: 6 months ago
“What’s in a name?” Shakespeare’s Juliet asked that rhetorical question more than 500 years ago. This question still rings true today in 21st century America. Names tell a story...
10 months ago
Last Updated: 6 months ago
Most people probably know how to pronounce Des Moines or Boise. That’s because these are well-known American cities. But people might have mispronounced them when they came across them for the...
10 months ago
Last Updated: 5 months ago
Toni Morrison, the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, has died. Some of her books — “Beloved” and “God Help the Child” — which explore the lives...
11 months ago
Last Updated: 5 months ago
New England — comprised today of the states of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island — was given its name by English explorer John Smith in 1616, and...
11 months ago
Last Updated: 3 months ago