Wordorigins.org Newsletter
  • Home
  • About
Sign in Subscribe

gnome (paid)

  • Dave Wilton

Dave Wilton

28 Jul 2025 • 2 min read
A statue of gnome with a tool slung over his shoulder, nestled among some flowers
A garden gnome

This post is for paying subscribers only

Subscribe now

Already have an account? Sign in

Postcard, c. 1910, depicting a man and two women seated, with his harms around the pair,  captioned, “This Is the Life”

throuple

Throuple is a good example of a word that has been coined multiple times, by multiple people, over the years. A blend of three + couple, it can refer to any grouping of three, but more commonly it is used to describe a polyamorous relationship involving three people, a ménage à
28 Jul 2025 6 min read
Cartoon: a senator reads a long list to a mostly empty chamber, other senators sleep; cleaners work in the background
Paid-members only

cloture (paid)

25 Jul 2025 3 min read
Drawing of a muscular man in a cape and blue tights with an “S” logo on the chest standing with arms akimbo

akimbo

To stand akimbo is to have one’s hands on one’s hips with the elbows turned outward. The word dates to the fifteenth century, but its origin is unknown. There are, however, a number of competing hypotheses. Let's start with what we know for sure. The word
25 Jul 2025 3 min read
Wordorigins.org Newsletter © 2025
  • Sign up
Powered by Ghost