boss The word boss has many different meanings with many different etymologies, but most of these senses of the word are uncommon or archaic. The dominant meaning of boss is that of a supervisor or person in charge. That sense comes from the Dutch baas, brought into English via the Dutch
pill / the pill A pill is a tablet or other such mass containing a drug intended to be swallowed. The pill is an oral contraceptive. The definite article underscores the revolutionary nature of reliable oral contraception. With the pill, women for the first time could exercise their reproductive autonomy, opening up opportunities in
niobium / columbium Niobium is a chemical element with atomic number 41 and the symbol Nb. It had been known previously as columbium, symbol Cb. Niobium is a light gray, crystalline transition metal with a hardness similar to titanium and a ductility similar to iron. It is used as a component of steel
Maritimes / Maritimer / Maritime Provinces / Atlantic Provinces The adjective maritime is a mid sixteenth century borrowing from French, which in turn is from the Latin martimus, an adjective meaning related to the sea. But in Canada, the Maritimes, refers to the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, not to be confused with the
nihonium Nihonium is a synthetic chemical element with atomic number 113 and the symbol Nh. The half-life of its longest-lived isotope is measured in seconds. It has no applications beyond pure research. The element was first reported to have been produced in 2003 at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR)
April fool No one knows for sure why April, and in particular the first of April, is associated with the playing of pranks on unsuspecting dupes, but the tradition seems to have evolved from the long association between love and springtime—the initial association was with those who have been made foolish
riding When I moved to Canada in 2010, I soon discovered that legislative districts there are known as ridings. At first, I assumed the name came from the distance one could ride to get to the polls, but me being me, I had to look it up, and I discovered that
meltdown / melt / molten In the public imagination, the noun meltdown is closely associated with nuclear reactor accidents. Given Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukashima, this association is quite understandable. But the word has an older use in metal smelting. And of course, it is also used metaphorically for an emotional breakdown. The history
Easter / Easter bunny / pasch / paschal Easter is the name for the Christian celebration of Jesus’s resurrection. The name is an old one, going back to Old English. The root is Germanic and, unsurprisingly, is related to the cardinal direction east. The Proto-Indo-European root is *aus-, meaning to shine, and is a source for many
nickel Nickel is a chemical element with atomic number 28 and the symbol Ni. It’s a hard, silvery-white, lustrous metal. It’s a common metal, but rarely found in pure form in nature. Nickel is widely used in all sorts of products, notably stainless steel, magnets, batteries, and as plating
bible Bible has several meanings in Present-Day English usage. Most commonly it refers to the Christian and Jewish scriptures, and when used this way it is generally capitalized. But bible can also be used in an extended sense to mean any authoritative book or collection of writings, in which case it
main / Main Street / High Street / main / high / highway The use of Main Street and High Street is an example of the divergence of North American and British English. While both terms can be found on either side of the Atlantic, the former is more common in North America and the latter in the UK. Both are terms for
meltdown / melt / molten (paid) In the public imagination, the noun meltdown is closely associated with nuclear reactor accidents. Given Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukashima, this association is quite understandable. But the word has an older use in metal smelting. And of course, it is also used metaphorically for an emotional breakdown. The history
