From Glenn Close at the Golden Globes to Cyntoia Brown in Tennessee, here’s who (and what) had folks searching for meaning on Dictionary.com the week of January 4–11, 2019. Humanitarian President Donald Trump made his first-ever address to the nation from the Oval Office this week, so it’s no surprise that folks tuned in to see what he had to say, or that plenty stuck …
If humankind can create airplanes, cellphones, and penicilin, surely we can tackle the hassle of language. Why doesn’t some brainiac come up with the perfect language that everyone can learn? Before you get all riled up, be assured this question is rhetorical. To start, this is not a new idea. In the late nineteenth century, a Polish oculist and linguist named Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof set …
The words assume and presume both mean that you take something for granted as being true, but the difference is based on how certain you are. Assume is typically used in situations where someone takes something as the truth with a very low level of certainty or with no proof at all. Presume usually involves a higher level of certainty and is used in situations …
If you take a tour of the English language, you can find some unbelievably long words like antidisestablishmentarianism, pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism, and supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. As long as these words are, they have got nothing on the longest words you’ll find in some of the world’s languages. If you find that hard to believe, you should know that the list you are about to read includes words like kindercarnavalsoptochtvoorbereidingswerkzaamhedenplan …
Has someone ever asked for your objective opinion? Or said that something is “entirely subjective”? The words subjective and objective are used in all kinds of contexts, from journalism to science to grammar, and they’re often discussed as opposites. But what do they actually mean? In most cases, it comes down to whether something is based on personal experience or on verifiable facts. But it …
As the weather warms and the flowers start to bloom, you may have noticed an increase in the different types of birdsong you hear each day. Birds’ songs and calls serve many purposes, from warning flocks of predators to helping birds catch the attention of potential mates. In the cases of the birds on this list, their songs and calls also inspired their names. The …
The ninth, fiery sign of the zodiac, Sagittarius, begins November 22 and lasts until December 21. Sagittarius is ruled by the planet Jupiter and is also a mutable fire sign, meaning it is one “of the three astrological signs, Aries, Leo, or Sagittarius, that are grouped together because of the shared attributes of enthusiasm, vitality, and interest in spiritual things.” The mutable part signals that Sagittarians can …
Every time another birthday rolls around, the thrills become fewer and the anxiety about aging becomes greater. But don’t let those landmark decade birthdays get you down! Now you can whip out a new word every 10 years to describe yourself. You may not have heard these words used very often, but that doesn’t mean they’re not important. Try saying one (or all) of them …
We've rounded up all of the different emoji hearts and will try to break down what they represent—so the next time you're confessing your undying love for the person next door via Tweet, of course, you'll know exactly which heart to send.
Naming your newborn can be an exciting and creative experience. A person’s given name, or forename, is important because it is usually the first impression your child will make on the world. Some parents choose to honor a family member by naming their child after a father, mother, or sibling. Others look to history for that perfect given name. And some look to … Facebook? …
