The word “nihilism” today refers to a belief that all values and existence itself is meaningless. It also refers to overwhelming cynicism towards the world or extreme skepticism towards everything. The word has been in the English language for a surprisingly short amount of time. The stem word of nihilism comes from the Latin word …
Continue reading “Origin & Development of the Word Nihilism”
The name of the blog somewhat gives away the teddy bear’s origin itself, but nevertheless, we will proceed! Theodore (often known as Teddy, even though he hated the nickname) Roosevelt was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901-1909. One of Roosevelt’s major accomplishments during his administration was the preservation of countless lands …
When someone has enthusiasm for something, they are driven to excel at it or to experience it. They greet this particular object of enthusiasm with relish. They are eager…could we even say, possessed? Perhaps we can, considering the origin of the word enthusiasm. This particular word has its origin in Ancient Greek, where the term …
Continue reading “Possessed by Gods: The Etymology of Enthusiasm”
Here is a little blog that might be a bit incoherent, but if you read the title “Notes About Procter & Gamble and Soap” and are still reading, then perhaps that will be fine. Procter & Gamble, a consumer goods corporation now worth over $80 billion, was founded in 1837 in Cincinnati, Ohio. One of …
This blog brings in etymology, one of my strong interests. As it turns out, the phrase “put up for adoption” has a history linked with trains, and thus was a suitable topic for this series. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, several charitable institutions in the US had a new idea to alleviate the …
Continue reading “Thursday Trains Summer Series: Orphan Trains + Watered Stock”
Content Warning: The Medieval play discussed in this brief blog has a plot involving rape, so if that’s something you want to hear about right now, feel free not to skip to the end of the blog, where you will find a cake recipe and a penguin camera. When you think of the word pamphlet, …
Continue reading “Valentine’s Day Etymological Special: Pamphlet”
When you think of someone who has charisma, you might imagine an individual that is popular and holds power over others due to personality aspects. Perhaps you think of a politician, or a famous musician, or some of the other celebrities that captivate people’s imaginations. Perhaps these people seem like they have a touch of …
Continue reading “Chosen by Heaven: The Etymology of Charisma”
To avoid commenting on current events in the US, I thought about writing another railway history piece this week. Yet then I remembered that I’d written about the subject two times in the past few weeks, so decided to go with etymology instead. My blogs have been so uncontroversial lately that it is almost frightening! …
Four score and seven weeks ago, I wrote about the origin of the word “Quarantine.” This week, I’m going to tell you the tale of another word: Quisling. Yes, it is technically a word in English, although I haven’t ever heard any English speaker use it. But after reading this blog, you might think that …
Continue reading “Quisling: An Unknown Word with a Fascinating Story”
In 1591, Shakespeare wrote in Henry VI: “Expect Saint Martin’s summer, halcyon days, / Since I have entered into these wars.” Now, I know that I have committed the egregious act of beginning an allegedly interesting blog with a Shakespeare quote, but don’t leave just yet. Halcyon is one of my favorite words in the English …
Continue reading “Those Halcyon Days: Why the Kingfisher Reminds Us of the Good Old Times”
Green Humanist