Like a wandering sailor, the Latin root “porto” has a girl in every . .. well, port. “Porto” means “carry,” and this roamin’ Roman root has sailed into scores of English words, serving us both the ...

No, this word doesn’t size up your Quidditch skills. It literally means “whatness,” formed from the Latin quid, or “what.” Quiddity was introduced as a philosophical term in the Middle Ages for “what ...

With students gone for the day, sixth grade teachers Joy Ford and Ryan Rusk sat in a classroom discussing the Latin root temp. After determining that “contemporary” and “temporary” share the root, ...

In their timeless Elements of Style, Strunk and write that “Anglo-Saxon is a livelier tongue than Latin, so use Anglo-Saxon words.” It’s good advice. (Sorry: advice has Latin roots. Let’s try again.) ...

Words did not spring out of nowhere – the language we use has developed throughout history and the words you use come from many different places around the world. With a little knowledge you can work ...

We often hear fascinating stories about how things originated: the universe, the wheel, even pizza. But when it comes to the ...

“I have been to the endodontist and the periodontist (and had dinner with my cousin, an orthodontist),” writes Elizabeth Kincaid-Eilers of West Hartford, “so why am I going to a dentist and not a ...

Put down your wands and open a dictionary. While we're all still waiting for our Hogwarts letters to arrive, most Harry Potter fans already know several basic spells to help them through the wizarding ...