Etymoleon - Word History, the etymology podcast.

This episode delivers the origins of words related to pregnancy. IVF is a common term today, but early media reports often used the phrase test tube baby, which predates the 1970s when in-vitro fertil...

17 Nov 202415min

In this episode, we scrub up the origins of cleaning-related words. The English towns of West Bromwich and Castle Bromwich share an etymology with a term for sweeping floors, while laundry has roots c...

10 Nov 202416min

This time, we're weighing the evidence behind the origins of words related to justice. The word dock is thought to trace back to a term for a chicken coop, while the Latin root of innocent links to th...

3 Nov 202415min

This episode is all about words that are their own opposites. Clip can mean both to trim and to attach, while refrain can mean to hold back or to repeat something endlessly. We also explore words that...

27 Okt 202413min

This time, we're hitting all the right notes as we explore the origins and meanings of names through the lens of female singers. Shania Twain, Celine Dion and Alanis Morissette share a distant relativ...

20 Okt 202415min

In this episode, we dig deep into the grave origins of words related to death. The term eulogy comes from ancient Greek and etymologically translates to 'good words' while euthanasia means 'good death...

13 Okt 202413min

This episode takes a look at the origins of autumn/fall related terms, from harvest and foliage to Halloween and the months September, October and November. Find out why the school year starts in Sept...

6 Okt 202413min

This episode traces the origins of soft drinks, many of which began life marketed as health remedies. We start with Joseph Priestley's discovery, which was crucial to the production of carbonated drin...

29 Sep 202414min