Vocabulary.com Blog Contributor
Adam Cooper
Adam Cooper studied linguistics at Brandeis University and The University of Chicago. Since 2010, he has been working with The Endangered Language Alliance in New York City on documentation and preservation projects.
Dept. of Word Lists
"Thrice for the United States of America"! GOP Debate or Renaissance Fair?
Vocab choices lend dramatic flair to otherwise technical discussion of policy.
The fourth Republican debate was, in terms of content, an exploration of the future of the United States economy. Linguistically, however, it was a bit of a throwback. Several of the candidates used words and phrases that can strike the modern ear as a bit antiquated.
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Word CountWriters Talk About Writing
When the Wrong Word Just Sounds Better
For all "intensive" purposes, this is the way that language tends to change.
Intensive purposes? Slight of hand? Linguist Adam Cooper contemplates phrases whose meanings are in transition as we replace unfamiliar words fossilized with language that sounds more reasonable to our modern ears.
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Dept. of Word Lists
The Linguisticky Highs and Language Lows of Last Night's Debate
On "catastrophes," "crony capitalism," and those who would "demagogue what we say here tonight."
The Republican debate on CNBC was billed as a discussion of the financial issues facing the nation, but it turned into something much livelier than that description might suggest: a raucous two hours. Candidates interrupted each other and asked for rule clarifications, rebelling against and refusing to answer moderator questions — questions which were often greeted by a loud chorus of audience boos. Continuing our coverage of relevant words in the debate season, we've prepared a list of the top ten most relevant words heard last night; below are a few linguistic highs (and lows) from the contest.
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Word CountWriters Talk About Writing
A Delicately Deodorized Word Bouquet
For when we'd rather not say what smells.
There's no nice way to put it: as we reach the peak of temperature and humidity levels in much of the northern hemisphere, we all too often find ourselves confronted by things — and yes, people — who smell. And even if we'd like to turn up our nose, for once let's take a giant whiff. Or at least an etymological one.
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Behind the DictionaryLexicographers Talk About Language
Linguistic "Humdingers" for Sticky Situations
What sounds do you make when words fail? A garbled stutter? A whistle? Or is there just the resounding bump of your jaw hitting the floor? Turns out, there are words to capture the wordless shock we experience when we're confronted by mess, noise, violence, or otherwise sticky situations. They're linked by sound: repeated syllables and long vowels that are onomatopoeically evocative of the sounds that come out of our mouths when our brains are overwhelmed.
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Behind the DictionaryLexicographers Talk About Language
Call it "Balmy" or "Sweltering," Summer (and Summer Words) are Here
Sunday is the longest day of the year and the official start to summer. To get ready, we're taking a look at the words and terms enshrined in our language that capture our collective experience of the summer season — trotted out once again like the shorts and sandals we've been waiting all winter to wear again.
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Did that headline peak your interest? Or did it pique it? I'm waiting with baited breath for your answer. Or would that be bated? All of us have a tendency to replace a fossilized word, whose nuances have been lost, with a more standard definition of that word or a different word entirely. Through this process, phrases, like words, can change meaning over time.
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