clue

English clew “ball of thread” → clueClue developed from clew, a ball of thread. The…

cobalt

German Kobold “goblin” → cobaltCobalt takes its name from German Kobold, a goblin or troublesome…

berserk

Old Norse berserkr → berserkEnglish berserk comes from the name of a fierce Old Norse…

tulip

Persian dulband → Turkish tülbent → tulipTulip’s European name travelled from a Persian word for…

paradise

Iranian enclosure term → Greek paradeisos → paradiseParadise began with the idea of an enclosed…

souvenir

French souvenir “to remember” → souvenirA souvenir is literally something connected with remembering. English borrowed…

denim

French serge de Nîmes → denimDenim keeps a French place name in its threads. Its…

salary

Latin sal → salarium → salarySalary goes back to Latin salarium, an allowance or stipend…

disaster

Italian disastro → French désastre → disasterDisaster once pointed to the stars. Italian disastro combined…

nostalgia

Greek nostos + algos → Modern Latin nostalgiaNostalgia began as a medical term for homesickness,…

A world of words

Language histories, voices, and the ideas that connect us.

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