Category Archives: etymology

  1. Stout, Seuss, and the Bible

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    April 23, 2022 by libroshombre

                In “A History of Reading,” Alberto Manguel wrote, “At one magical instant in your early childhood, the page of …
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    Category: Bible, book banning, censorship, e-reader, etymology, language, reading, word origins, words, writers, writing | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

  2. OLLI, Yancey, and X

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    May 3, 2017 by libroshombre

      The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), one of Fairbanks’ intellectual jewels like our public library, offers a wide array …
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    Category: etymology, interlibrary loan, language, Learning, libraries, Uncategorized, words | Tags: , , , , , , ,

  3. Writers, Editors, and Mean Parrots

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    October 31, 2016 by libroshombre

      Stephen Ambrose, author of “Band of Brothers” and “Undaunted Courage,” once noticed that, “There are many more want-to-be writers …
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    Category: editing, etymology, Uncategorized, writers, writing | Tags: , , , ,

  4. Flowers, Fireflies, and Frequentatives

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    June 3, 2016 by libroshombre

    A recent visit to central Texas revealed that sensible rains have returned there after a half-decade of severe drought. The …
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    Category: dictionaries, English language, etymology, insects, public libraries, Uncategorized, word origins, words | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

  5. OMG, Dord, and Circumflex Perplexion

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    February 23, 2016 by libroshombre

      Sometimes lawlessness works. Compare the practically unfettered, free-for-all English language with the highly-regulated French language. New words enter English …
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    Category: English, etymology, French, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , ,

  6. Little Words, Ngrams, and Emoji

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    July 7, 2015 by libroshombre

    “It’s the little details that are vital,” according to legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, who added, “Little things make …
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    Category: communications, etymology, libraries, words | Tags: , , , , , , , ,

  7. Pronouncing, Vocabulary Building, and Murals

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    July 3, 2015 by libroshombre

    “Pronunciation Errors That Changed Modern English” was a fascinating TheGuardian.com article posted by David Shariatmadari in 2014. He noted that …
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    Category: etymology, libraries, vocabulary, words | Tags: , , , , , ,

  8. Ultraconserved Words, Sweet Peltrichor, and Short-Sighted Leaders

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    April 20, 2015 by libroshombre

    Senegalese environmentalist Baba Dioum once said, “In the end we will conserve only what we love.” If so, we must …
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    Category: etymology, words | Tags: , , , , , ,

  9. Enticements of Etymology, Origins of Scoundrels, and Casey Gets a Hit

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    April 6, 2015 by libroshombre

    Ralph Waldo Emerson described studiers of word origins this way: “The etymologist finds the deadest words to have been once …
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    Category: etymology, word origins, words | Tags: , , , , , ,

  10. The Etymology of Soccer, Football, and Ageless Slang

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    July 10, 2014 by libroshombre

    The old Scottish poet Allan Cunningham once wrote about a time “when looks were fond and words were few.” That …
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    Category: communication, etymology, sports, word origins, words | Tags: , , , , , , ,

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