According to Merriam-Webster's online dictionary, "e.g." is taken from the Latin phrase exempli gratia, which translates to ...

How the brain deciphers words can explain a lot about why humans are able to pick up patterns and read words even when vowels ...

Like any self-respecting four-letter word, "nice" has many connotations. Centuries ago, "nice" meant someone was ignorant; ...

From corporate buzzwords to social media slang, these overused expressions have worn out their welcome. How many on the list ...

Learn about the origins and meanings of words like 'widow', 'spinster', 'debut', and 'put your thumb on the scale'.

Earnest is an adjective used to describe someone who is serious, sincere, and determined about what they say or do ...

With no solid object of fixed colour against which to correlate, "blue" has historically had the capacity to range loosely ...

Language is always changing and evolving. New slang emerges with each generation, and sometimes the original meanings of ...

The 20 most popular baby girls' names have some similarities in both America and the UK – but four unusual choices really ...

Linguistic, cultural and political differences make interpretation difficult, but analysts also point to factors like the ...

Just as Caesar thought his friend Brutus was the last man on Earth who would betray him, so I imagined Susie Dent would ...