Wordorigins.org Newsletter
  • Home
  • About
Sign in Subscribe

emoji (paid)

  • Dave Wilton

Dave Wilton

13 Oct 2025 • 1 min read
A table of 12 emoji showing stylized faces displaying various emotions and moods

This post is for paying subscribers only

Subscribe now

Already have an account? Sign in

Nighttime photo of a large black cube surrounded by pilgrims within an open-air mosque; beyond are minarets & city buildings

Mecca

Mecca is a place name, a toponym, that has acquired a figurative meaning over the years. Literally, it is a city in Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of the prophet Muhammad, to which devout Muslims are required to undertake a pilgrimage to at some point in their lives. Figuratively, it is
13 Oct 2025 3 min read
A 17th-century court in an uproar, a woman in the dock, lightning comes through a window, a man lies prone on the floor
Paid-members only

witch hunt (paid)

10 Oct 2025 4 min read
Graphic that combines images of a menorah, a Magan David, and the Christian fish symbol

Judeo-Christian

Judeo-Christian has two main meanings. The first refers to Jews who have converted to Christianity. The second, and today more common, meaning refers to the common ethical and cultural values of Judaism and Christianity. This second meaning originally grew out of desire for inclusivity, but the term Judeo-Christian is now
10 Oct 2025 4 min read
Wordorigins.org Newsletter © 2025
  • Sign up
Powered by Ghost