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language
How World War II's ‘Dear John’ Letters Changed American Society
By Susan L. Carruthers
Why Hit Movies Are Called Blockbusters
By Olivia B. Waxman
The Past and Future of Punctuation Marks
By Florence Hazrat / History Today
The Surprising Origins of the Phrase 'You Guys'
By Allan Metcalf
More in
language
How America's Ugly History of Segregation Changed the Meaning of the Word 'Ghetto'
The name “Ghetto” likely derived from the Venetian verb gettare, meaning to pour or to cast, and probably can be traced to the earlier presence of a copper foundry in what was to become the all-Jewish district
By Daniel B. Schwartz
September 24, 2019
The Long Debate Over What Counts as a Concentration Camp
Even for Nazi camp survivors who sought to eradicate them, they were hard to define
By Emma Kuby / History Today
September 23, 2019
Merriam-Webster Adds Gender-Neutral Pronouns to Dictionary
"They" and "themself" have been added, along with more than 530 other words
By Suyin Haynes
September 17, 2019
What to Know About the Origins of 'Left' and 'Right' in Politics, From the French Revolution to the 2020 Presidential Race
How did such seemingly benign descriptions come to define the political spectrum?
By Madeleine Carlisle
September 12, 2019
Was Stonewall a Riot, an Uprising or a Rebellion? Here's How the Description Has Changed—And Why It Matters
The word "riot" had very specific connotations in the 1960s
By Katy Steinmetz
June 24, 2019
Americans and Brits Have Been Fighting Over the English Language for Centuries. Here’s How It Started
It's always been about more than just spelling
By Peter Martin
June 11, 2019
It's Time to Rethink the Demeaning Ways We Describe Pregnancy
And to let women provide their own alternatives to "knocked up"
By Katy Steinmetz
May 11, 2019
Wives of Political Leaders Have Long Been Called 'First Ladies.' California's Jennifer Siebel Newsom Has Other Plans
How an unprecedented moment fits into centuries of history for political spouses
By Katy Steinmetz
January 11, 2019
Dictionary Reveals Biggest Search Trends of 2018
Dictionary.com has revealed the 10 most viral lookups of 2018, and they reflect a tense era. Here's what you need to know
By Katy Steinmetz
December 27, 2018
Dictionaries Have Been Inspiring Political Debates for Longer Than You Probably Think
Noah Webster was dismissed by one contemporary linguist as “a thirsty reformer"
By Rosemarie Ostler / History News Network
December 14, 2018
Why Slang Is More Revealing Than You May Realize
And exceptionally tricky to study
By Katy Steinmetz
December 12, 2018
Thousands of Languages Are Endangered. Can Apps Save Them?
Language-learning startup Duolingo is launching two new courses in Hawaiian and Navajo, as linguists warn that many tongues are under threat
By Katy Steinmetz
October 8, 2018
Why Calling Donald Trump an 'Animal' Doesn't Fix Anything
The President and his opponents share a bad instinct
By Katy Steinmetz
May 18, 2018
How Learning New Words Could Make You Happier
Even if you don't totally understand what they mean
By Katy Steinmetz
May 8, 2018
Avoiding Phrases With Unseemly Origins Is More Complicated Than You Might Think
Many terms — like 'sleepy eyes' — have dark pasts that few people remember
By Katy Steinmetz
April 26, 2018
The Oxford English Dictionary Added 'Trans*.' Here's What the Label Means
"Some people think of it as trendy and cutting edge and insider, and some think it’s obnoxious."
By Katy Steinmetz
April 3, 2018
Why 'Latinx' Is Succeeding While Other Gender-Neutral Terms Fail to Catch On
Analyzing the label's growing appeal
By Katy Steinmetz
April 2, 2018
A Major Dictionary Has Officially Added Emoji
In an exclusive interview, the editorial team at Dictionary.com tells TIME why it was time to explain emoji
By Katy Steinmetz
March 6, 2018
'Cryptocurrency,' 'Dumpster Fire' Added to Dictionary
So were 'mansplain,' 'blockchain' and 'glamping'
By Katy Steinmetz
March 5, 2018
Equality Matters More than Income for Kids
These are today's best ideas
By The Aspen Institute
March 1, 2018
Read Difficult Novels
These are today's best ideas
By The Aspen Institute
February 27, 2018
Here’s How Often the CDC Has Actually Been Using the 7 Words It Reportedly Banned
The Washington Post reported Friday that President Donald Trump's Administration is barring officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from using seven words in their budget documents: "science-based," "evidence-based," "transgender", "diversity", "vulnerable", "entitlement"...
By Chris Wilson
December 18, 2017
Oxford Dictionaries' 2017 Word of the Year is More Than 50 Years Old
It was coined way back in 1965
By Jamie Ducharme
December 15, 2017
And Merriam Webster’s Word of the Year for 2017 Is...
One piece of language stood out
By John Patrick Pullen
December 12, 2017
Our President Has Always Degraded Women — And We’ve Always Let Him
Remember the good old days when we thought raunchy, predatory comments about women’s genitals could sink a politician? Back in October of 2016, the Washington Post published that tape of Donald Trump bragging to Access...
By Jill Filipovic
December 5, 2017
An Extra Year of High School Can Set Students Up For Success
These are today's best ideas
By The Aspen Institute
November 27, 2017
Why 'Thoughts and Prayers' Is a Double-Edged Sword
The hubbub surrounding these three words is about gun control and religion. But it's also about cliches.
By Katy Steinmetz
November 9, 2017
The Differences Between Cities and Suburbs are Fading Away
These are today's five best
By The Aspen Institute
October 13, 2017
The History Behind Why We Say a Person 'Came Out of the Closet'
National Coming Out Day is Oct. 11
By Olivia B. Waxman
October 11, 2017
Las Vegas Was the Deadliest Shooting in Modern U.S. History. Here's Why 'Modern' Is So Important
"'Mass shooting' is really a new name for a very old, familiar problem"
By Olivia B. Waxman
October 4, 2017
'Unspeakable,' 'Incomparable.' Why Words Fail to Describe the Las Vegas Shooting
While some debate whether the shooting should be called "terrorism," many struggle to find any words that are sufficient
By Katy Steinmetz
October 3, 2017
Discover George Carlin's Foolproof System for Organizing Ideas
The legendary comedian's archives hold clues about how he developed his routines. You might even want to use his system for your own ideas
By Lily Rothman
September 29, 2017
The Dictionary Is Adding An Entry for 'Fake News'
Dictionary.com's newest definition highlights the slippery slope of language in the Trump era
By Katy Steinmetz
September 27, 2017
Vice President Pence Cited a Fake Thomas Jefferson Quote. Here's How to Avoid the Same Mistake
Experts on Ben Franklin, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson offer tips on how to tell spurious Founding Father quotes from real ones
By Olivia B. Waxman
September 22, 2017
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary Adds 'Alt-Right' and 'Troll'
The Springfield, Mass.-based dictionary maker announced a new batch of words on Monday
By Katy Steinmetz
September 18, 2017
Watch These Game Show Contestants Struggle to Figure Out the World’s Most Obvious Answer
What's the name of that fictional character that contains the letters "asmido"? At least two people on a game show for literate people could not figure it out. Competitors faced off on the Wheel of...
By Ashley Hoffman
July 25, 2017
The Expiration Date May Be a Myth for Some Medications
These are today's best ideas
By The Aspen Institute
July 20, 2017
A Century-Old Abraham Lincoln Mystery May Finally Have an Answer
Who wrote the Bixby letter? Researchers say they have a definitive answer
By Lily Rothman
July 19, 2017
Forget Words, a Lot of Millennials Say GIFs and Emojis Communicate Their Thoughts Better Than English
A new survey shows just how much millennials prefer the digital tools
By Katy Steinmetz
June 27, 2017
The Oxford English Dictionary Just Added 'Woke.' It's Older Than You Might Think
The word, embraced by the Black Lives Matter movement, is among scores of new words added to the OED
By Katy Steinmetz
June 25, 2017
This Is Where the Word 'History' Comes From
The word 'history' evolved from an ancient Greek verb, but its definition has changed over the years
By Katy Steinmetz
June 23, 2017
Merriam-Webster Happily Reports 'Scurrilous' Is Summer's Hottest New Word Thanks to Jeff Sessions
Senate hearings are widely viewed events where words matter, and of everything Attorney General Jeff Sessions stated during his appearance before former colleagues, a few words stand out. One of those words is "scurrilous." As...
By Ashley Hoffman
June 13, 2017
James Comey Said 'Lordy.' So Merriam-Webster Weighed In
As former FBI Chief James Comey testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday, Merriam-Webster supplied the definition for his most colloquial word yet: "lordy." James Comey said Thursday: "Lordy, I hope there are tapes"...
By Ashley Hoffman
June 8, 2017
No One on the Internet Knows What the Winning National Spelling Bee Word Even Means
The winning word from Thursday's night's Scripps National Spelling Bee is all over social media. After champion Ananya Vinay breezed through words like "zeaxanthin," "brabancon," "sceloporus" and other softball spelling challenges, she ended with "marocain."...
By Ashley Hoffman
June 2, 2017
Read Julia Child's Letter to William Safire on How to Correctly Capitalize the Names of Wines
A letter from the cook to the language expert has recently been made available to the public
By Lily Rothman
May 24, 2017
Merriam Webster Defines 'Suborn' After Former CIA Chief Testifies About Russia Probe
Searches were up more than 28,000%
By Mahita Gajanan
May 23, 2017
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