Fact-based Word Journeys
Kangaroo Is a Real Word, Not a Polite Shrug
A popular story says kangaroo means I don't understand, but the word was a real name for a big grey kangaroo, written down beside a river in 1770.
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Fact-based Word Journeys
Pyjamas Began as Persian Leg Clothes Worn in Broad Daylight
Pyjamas, pijama and pizhama all come from a Persian phrase for leg clothing, and the loose trousers it named were worn in the daytime long before anyone went to bed in them.
Fact-based Word Journeys
The Word Sugar Began as an Ancient Word for Gravel
Sugar in English, sakhar in Russian and azúcar in Spanish all grew from one Sanskrit word for grit and gravel, which travelled west with the sweet crystals themselves.
Fact-based Word Journeys
A Magazine and a Russian Shop Are the Same Arabic Word
Magazine, the Spanish almacén and the Russian magazin all grew out of one Arabic word for a back room full of sacks, and only one of them ended up made of paper.
Fiction Made-Up Words
Echowish
(n.) The reflex that fires a good wish straight back at the person who offered it, so that a waiter setting down your dinner is warmly told to enjoy his meal too.
Fact-based Word Journeys
The Word Coffee Took the Long Way Round
Before it reached your cup, the word coffee travelled from Arabic into Turkish and then all over Europe, picking up a new spelling in almost every language.
Fact-based Word Journeys
The Word Tomato Was Born in the Language of the Aztecs
Tomato, tomate and the Russian tomat all grew from one Aztec word, tomatl, while Russian also kept a second name that means golden apples.
Fiction Made-Up Words
Plugspin
(n.) The ritual of trying a plug one way up, then the other, then the first way again, which somehow now works perfectly.
Fiction Made-Up Words
Pocketdrum
(n.) The brisk little drumroll you play on your own pockets in the doorway, checking for keys, phone and wallet in the same order every single time.
Fact-based Word Journeys
The Word Robot Was Born in a Czech Play, Thanks to a Painter Brother
Robot, the Russian robot and the Spanish robot all come from a single stage play written in Prague in 1920, where a writer's brother suggested an old Czech word for hard, dull work.