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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

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On Contractions of Multiple Words

 

You all would not have guessed some of these

play video schwa
The Schwa

 

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

play alright allright video
Alright vs. All Right

 

Is 'alright' all right?

play video drive safe ly
Drive Safe: In Praise of Flat Adverbs

 

You don't have to end all your adverbs in -ly to talk right.

play video how a word gets into the dicionary
How a Word Gets into the Dictionary

 

What our editors are looking for when they enter words in Merriam-Webster.

play hot mess
Hot Mess

 

Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings