A word lover walks into a bar and asks for a drink made from fermented mashed grains. What exactly will get poured into their glass—whiskey or bourbon? And what’s the difference anyway? In this article, we will drink responsibly as we take a shot at explaining what whiskey and bourbon are, what the differences between them are, and how they are different from other similar …
People around the world have been fascinated by dragons for millennia. From the snake-like dragons of the East to the dinosaur-like dragons of the West, we just can’t get enough of these gargantuan reptiles! They feature prominently in myths and legends (like St. George slaying a fearsome dragon or the Norse hero Sigurd battling the terrifying dragon Fafnir), and even after all of these years, dragons …
On January 6, 2021, a mob at a protest rally in support of Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol building on the day Congress was set to certify the electoral vote count to confirm Joe Biden’s presidential election victory. As people processed this shocking event, they debated how to refer to the participants in the siege. Should the people who invaded the Capitol, even if …
by Kory Stamper published June 26th, 2018When we use dictionaries, we think that we are getting a pure view of language, one uncluttered by spin, by misuse, by shifting context. But, lexicographers like me will tell you that language is context. Every meaning in a dictionary is written based on the contextual uses of a word—and context, like people, can get confusing and messy. In …
In the United States, the words Democrat and Republican are used to refer to members of the two major American political parties: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The general, lowercase senses of the English words democratic and republican actually have long, complex histories that go far beyond red and blue states or donkeys and elephants. Let’s take a closer look at where these …
When you’re sad about the loss of a person, a pet, or even an item, it can feel like there are no words to describe those feelings. Emotions take over and melancholy sets in. But after that initial reaction, when the feelings start to subside, do you tell others you were grieving or bereaving that loss? Let’s explore the differences between these two mournful words. What does …
Just as the leaves start to turn, and the scent of apple cider begins wafting through the air, the season of Libra is upon us. Lovely Libras are those people born between September 23–October 23. Libra is the seventh sign of the zodiac and is one of the three air signs (Gemini and Aquarius are the other two). The word Libra dates back to 1350–1400. …
We use a lot … a lot. But ask someone to define a lot and they’ll probably start by saying “A lot means … a lot!” That’s because it’s so commonly used that it can be hard to think of how to explain it. A lot can seem like it should be a single word—and maybe one day the spelling alot will appear in this …
Throw a bunch of ingredients in a pot, add liquid, heat it up, and what do you get? That’s actually a harder question to answer than you might think. Dishes made in this way can be labeled soup, stew, broth, bisque, or chowder. When it comes to food, people have strong preferences not only about taste but also about what things are called. In this …
Zedonk. Yes, this is for real. “The offspring of a zebra and a donkey.” Prepare yourself for an even larger dose of absurdity: there are plenty more zany names for unlikely crossbreeds, and we’ve collected a nonsensical herd of them. We don’t know if the baby zedonk, born in the state of Georgia about a week ago, has a name, but an Associated Press report notes that …
Today is a tears-of-joy day for emoji. In a move that reflects the changing nature of communication — and the evolving role of dictionaries — Dictionary.com has officially added explanations for these little pictorial symbols, becoming the first major reference to do so.