245: beware versus ware Aug 10, 2015

'Beware' and 'ware' are used as a warning cry, typically in a hunting context, and mean the same thing. The word comes from Old English, 'warian' meaning ‘be on one's guard,’ from a Germanic base meaning ‘observe, take care', and is not related to the word 'war'.

244: umbra Aug 9, 2015

The word 'umbra' comes from Latin, meaning shade, and gives English more than one derivative. Umbrellas provide shade from sun, and perhaps an umbrageous canopy. 'Umbrage' also derives from the Latin, but it takes some thought to figure out why. Similar to the modern expression, 'shady', to describe a lack of security from the law or what have you, 'umbrage' means "offering shade" but also "offense".

242: omg Aug 7, 2015

OMG comes from the world's sassiest British officer. This British admiral from WWI John Arbuthnot "Jacky" Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher wrote in a letter, " I hear that a new order of Knighthood is on the tapis—O.M.G. (Oh! My God!)—Shower it on the Admiralty!!".
And yes, both exclamation points were really included in his letter from 1917.
To see the full, sass-filled letter, see this link:http://newsfeed.time.com/…/omg-first-use-of-abbreviation-f…/

243: estival Aug 8, 2014

'Estival', meaning "belonging to or appearing in summer" looks so much like the word 'festival', it might almost seem as if the two are related. This is not the case. 'Estival' comes from 'aestas' which means 'summer' in Latin. That root also begat 'estivate', which is to spend the summer in a torpid state.

241: nimrod Aug 6, 2015

'Nimrod' actually means a "skillful hunter." This is a biblical word that comes from the name of the great-grandson of Noah, one of the most powerful biblical kings. During the golden age of American animation, Bugs Bunny called Elmer Fud a 'nimrod' in an episode of Looney Tunes. There are a few words that have changed through sarcasm over time, such as 'nice', but in this case it is similar to calling someone 'Einstein' sarcastically.

240: Napkin and Apron Aug 5, 2015

'Napkin' was originally 'apkin', and the opposite happened with 'apron', which was originally 'napron'. Similar to 'nickname' (see Word Facts from December 10th, 2014), the 'n' was transferred due to indefinite articles.

239: Rebel versus Rebel Aug 4, 2015

Often, verbs and nouns are accented differently. As such, 'rebel' in the case of the verb is accented on the ultima, whereas for a noun, the accentuation falls on the penult.

237: robot Aug 2, 2015

The word "robot" comes from the Czech word 'robota', meaning "forced labor" denoting slavery. Although, in 2013, Internet addiction was declared a mental disorder, so think twice before thinking technology is your slave.

238: assassin Aug 3, 2015

Members of a fanatical Muslim sect during the Crusades used to smoke hashish and then murder leaders on the opposing side, since what could go wring with getting super stoned and then trying to kill people‽ The group eventually went by the name 'hashishiyyin', meaning 'hashish-users' in Arabic. Over time, and through great amount of mispronunciation and misunderstanding, the English word 'assassin' was born.

236: augustus Aug 1, 2015

Most months that we have are named after gods, usually a Roman one, but not August. The word derives from the Latin 'augustus' which means, ‘consecrated, venerable’. Augustus Caesar was born Gaius Octavius Thurinus, and adopted the name from this word (something like "venerable Caesar"). Even though this man, the first Roman emperor, was born in September, his name decided the title of this month.

235: whiskey Jul 31, 2015

Whiskey is the shortened form of whiskeybae, which derives from the Old English word 'usquebae', derived from two Gaelic words: 'uisce' meaning 'water', and 'bethu' which means 'life'. Therefore, whiskey literally means "water of life", and to many an Irish or Scottish person, that might just be true.

234: minke Jul 30, 2015

In Iceland, minke is a popular dish, especially among tourists (tourists consume 40% of the total amount eaten every year). The word 'minke' is relatively knew, the minke whale being named in the 1930's after Meincke, the name of a Norwegian whaler.

233: avacado Jul 29, 2015

Avocados are not native to any English-speaking country. The word 'avocado' comes from the Aztec word, "ahuacatl", which means testicle. Aside from the similar shape, avocados are a supposed aphrodisiac. Although, 'testicle-fruit' did not ever catch on, to those whom know the etymology, it may as well be.

232: Prepositions at the End Jul 28, 2015

The tradition that a preposition should not end a sentence goes grammarians in the 18th century believed English ought to bend to the rules of Latin grammar, not because it dramatically affected the interpretation of the sentence. And although it usually makes as much sense to end a sentence with a preposition as it does to eat an appetizer, not before, but after the entree, similar to the effect of the passive voice, sometimes the speaker desires to emphasize the object of the preposition.

231: phd, md, and jd Jul 27, 2015

In the United States there are many different titles, even more in other countries. These honorifics all have derivations, and not everyone knows whence these words come.All of these words have Latin origins; PhD stands for "philosopiae doctor [doctor of philosophy]", MD stands for "medicinae doctor [doctor of medicine]", and JD stands for "juris doctor [doctor of law]"

230: Deutschland, Cymru, and Island Jul 26, 2015

The German name of Germany is 'Deutschland'. The Welsh name of Wales is 'Cymru'. The Icelandic name of Iceland is 'Island'.

229: aeroplane versus airplane Jul 25, 2015

Sometimes in standardized languages, it is easiest to understand the etymology of a word in the most original possible spelling. The commonly North American word, 'airplane', is spelt by the British: 'aeroplane'. This word comes from French 'aéroplane', from the Greek, "aéro-" meaning ‘air’ and "-planos which means ‘wandering', denoting the often seemingly random motion of birds.

228: born versus borne Jul 24, 2015

Most words are the retain spelling for voices, with the addition of suffixes. The words 'born' and 'borne', and except from this, however, and are spelled differently, because they are both participles. 'Born', the more common of the two, is used for passive statements e.g. "he was born twenty years ago" where as 'borne' is the participle of 'to bear', and is active, "the mother has borne a daughter". The distinction was only made at the end of the 18th century.

227: evince Jul 23, 2015

The word 'evince' has changed meaning somewhat over time. late 16th century, now meaning, "reveal the presence of (a quality or feeling)" or "be evidence of; indicate." derives from the Latin word, 'evincere' meaning ‘overcome, defeat’, which ought to show if only a little the difference between the English-speaking culture and Roman culture.

226: curious Jul 22, 2015

The word curious has two definitions: "eager to know or learn something" and also "strange; unusual". The understood meaning has changed a great deal over time since its derivation; this word derives from Latin 'curious' which means ‘careful,’ which in turn comes from 'cura' meaning ‘care’. The second sense of the word ("strange") dates from the early 18th century.