Word Archaeology: gargoyle
This word, particularly in Gothic architecture, refers to a carved grotesque with a spout that’s designed to take water away from a rooftop and divert it...
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This word, particularly in Gothic architecture, refers to a carved grotesque with a spout that’s designed to take water away from a rooftop and divert it...
This word refers to a pigment, from deep saffron to mustard yellow, that’s been used to dye the robes of Buddhist monks and by Jean Perrin...
This word refers to an alphabet that started with 24 angular characters, derived from both Latin and Greek. Scandinavians and Anglo-Saxons used futhark runes for inscriptions...
In modern times, this word means to issue a decree with denunciation. But the word came from the Latin “fulminare” – to strike – and originally...
This word, possibly German in origin, dates back to the late 19th Century. Foozle can be a verb or a noun. As a verb, it means...
This word, first used in the 15th Century, means to derisively laugh or grimace. It derived from the Middle English “flerven”, but that word is Scandinavian,...
This word, first used about 1938, is derived from the German phrase “fliegerabwehrkanonen”, a combination of “flieger” (flyer), “abwehr” (defense), and “kanonen” (cannons). It refers to...
This word, derived from the Norwegian “finnsko” (“finn” for Finnish and Old Norse “sko” for shoe), refers to a furred boot made from tanned reindeer skin....
This Italian word refers to a full-length cloak with a flat collar worn as a component of outfits usually worn by Roman Catholic clergy during academic...
This word, first used circa 1737, refers to small anatomical openings in certain bones (especially in the skull). Fenestra is derived from the Latin word for...