zero gravity / zero-g / microgravity 7 January 2026 Zero gravity, also called zero g or microgravity, is the state of weightlessness experienced in outer space (and, as we shall see, at the center of the earth). The term is much older than you might expect. It first appears back in February 1915 in the journal
scrapple 5 January 2026 Scrapple is a mush of pork scraps—hence the name—cornmeal, and sometimes buckwheat flour. It is typically fried and served as a breakfast meat. It can be found in the Mid-Atlantic United States, from South Jersey to North Carolina. The Pennsylvania German name for it is
voluntary / volunteer 2 January 2026 The adjective voluntary has a rather straightforward etymology. It comes from the Latin voluntarius, meaning willing, of one’s own choice, via the Old French voluntaire. The Latin noun voluntas means will or desire. The first English incarnation of the word is the noun volunte, meaning will
redskin / red man 31 December 2025 Redskin, a disparaging term for a Native American, is over two and a half centuries old. It is first recorded in a transcript and translation of a speech given by Chief Maringouin, of the Illinois people, on 26 August 1769. It was interpreted by a Frenchman from
neither confirm nor deny / Glomar response 29 December 2025 When a US government official neither confirms nor denies the existence of a classified program it is called a Glomar response or a Glomar denial. This label has its origins in one of the most fascinating incidents of the US-Soviet Cold War, but the wording neither confirm
breaking bad 26 December The popular US television show Breaking Bad (2008–13) is about a high-school chemistry teacher in Albuquerque who, after being diagnosed with lung cancer and with the assistance of an ex-student turned failed drug dealer, begins to cook and sell crystal meth. While the show has been popular
keener Having been born and raised in the United States, I was unaware of the slang noun keener until I came to the University of Toronto. Keener is used to denote enthusiastic and over-eager students and is mildly derogatory. One hears instructors uttering phrases like “I assigned extra reading, knowing that
2025 Wordorigins Words of the Year (WOTY) 23 December 2025 As in past years, I’ve come up with a list of Words of The Year (WOTY). I do things a bit differently from other sites in that I don’t try to select one term to represent the entire year. Instead, I select twelve terms, one
bald-faced / boldfaced / barefaced 22 December Is a lie bald-faced, bold-faced, or barefaced? Of the three, barefaced is the oldest by about half a century. The underlying metaphor is that of being beardless, that is open and undisguised. But from its earliest use barefaced has also been linked to being shameless. It appears as
nones (religious) 19 December 2025 In recent years, there have been many news reports touting the fact that the fastest growing religious group in the United States is the nones. Who are the nones? And when did we start using the term? The nones are people who are not affiliated with any
race / racism 17 December 2025 Race and racism permeate nearly every aspect of present-day American culture. Yet the concept of race as most people perceive it today is a relatively new one. While demonizing the “other” and the idea of grouping people by kinship dates to antiquity, grouping people by skin color
2025: My Year in Astrophotography Nothing to do with words or language, but I also take pictures of the night sky. Here are the ones I took this past year.
