play video title words of the year 1066
Word History

Words of the Year: 1066

Why is pig meat called 'pork' and cow meat called 'beef?' Because English took on a big serving of French words following the Norman Conquest.


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play video title words of the year 1066
Words of the Year: 1066

 

English was never the same after the Norman Conquest

play ismo merriam webster trunk boot
Some Odd Words with ISMO: "Junk in the Trunk"

 

Comedian ISMO on what separates a boot from a trunk

play backward index mystery
The True Story of the Backward Index

 

These people needed a computer

play mrs malaprop
What is a Malaprop?

 

We'll tell you all the perpendiculars

play serial comma
The Serial Comma Explained

 

Why don't they call it the Merriam-Webster comma?

play serenity carr next to an illustration of a refrigerator with the letter d in it
Why is there a 'd' in 'fridge' but not in 'refrigerator'?

 

Thawing one of the mysteries of English

play video schwa
The Schwa

 

The most common vowel sound in English causes many spelling problems.