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...
April 18, 2021
Category: Word Archaeology
Word Archaeology: gamboge
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...
April 14, 2021
Word Archaeology: futhark
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...
April 12, 2021
Word Archaeology: fulminate
In modern times, this word means to issue a decree with denunciation. But the word came from the Latin “fulminare” – to strike – and originally...
April 7, 2021
Word Archaeology: foozle
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...
March 26, 2021
Word Archaeology: fleer
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,...
March 22, 2021
Word Archaeology: flak
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...
March 21, 2021
Word Archaeology: finnesko
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....
March 20, 2021
Word Archaeology: ferraiolone
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...
March 12, 2021
Word Archaeology: fenestra
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...
March 11, 2021
