Wordorigins.org Newsletter
  • Home
  • About
Sign in Subscribe

truthiness (paid)

  • Dave Wilton

Dave Wilton

14 Mar 2025 • 3 min read
Share
Still image of Stephen Colbert sitting behind a desk with a Chyron that reads, “The Wørd: Truthiness”

This post is for paying subscribers only

Subscribe now

Already have an account? Sign in

Photo of a stone engraved with two ovals containing Egyptian hieroglyphics
Paid-members only

cartouche / cartridge (paid)

28 Oct 2026 2 min read
Image of a man in baggy clothing, cape, and wide-brimmed hat standing by a door having a pitcher of water poured on his head

zany

28 October 2026 The English adjective zany comes from a stock character in Italian commedia dell’arte named Zanni. The character is portrayed as a male servant of rustic background who is cynical, crafty, and fond of mimicry and practical jokes. The name is a hypocoristic, Venetian dialect form of
28 Oct 2026 3 min read
Drawing of a platypus

platypus

26 October 2026 The platypus, or duck-billed platypus, (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is perhaps the oddest mammal. It is a semiaquatic monotreme (i.e., it lays eggs). It has a leathery bill that resembles that of a duck and uses electrolocation to find its prey (larvae, worms, shrimp, crayfish, and the
26 Oct 2026 1 min read
Wordorigins.org Newsletter © 2026
  • Sign up
Powered by Ghost