Each word has its own unique (hi)story. While some are quite straightforward, others have undergone interesting, fascinating and sometimes unbelievable developments. In this category, you will find out more about word origins and facts about the history of dictionaries, among other things.
Onomatopoeia refers to both the process of creating words that imitate the sounds they represent and the words themselves (e.g., the “buzz” of a bee). This word is often incorrectly spelled as “onomonopoia.” Onomatopoeia is frequently found in creative writing, like children’s books, comic books, and stories, to
A paradox is a statement or concept that contradicts itself or is opposed to common sense. Paradoxical statements can be completely baffling while still expressing a possible truth. For example, the expression “less is more” is a paradox because it contains two words that directly contradict each other: “less” and
A truism is an obvious statement that, although true, provides no helpful or interesting insights. Truisms are often used to express common wisdom, but they are so self-evident and undeniable that they can be considered unnecessary. For example, imagine someone losing a championship game, and someone says to them, “You
If you’ve learned that “literally” means “in a literal sense,” then you may find expressions like “I could literally eat a horse” shocking. However, there’s another highly contested meaning for “literally” you should know about. We’ll clarify the correct usage of this word by reviewing its history.
English is notoriously known for plucking words from other languages and throwing them into its lexicon. These terms would constitute an endless list, and although we can’t go through each one, we compiled 15 loanwords used in everyday English.
“Juxtaposition” may sound like gibberish to those who aren’t familiar with the term, but it’s a popular technique writers use for rhetorical effect. We’ll teach you what it means, and how you can use it to transform your writing from boring to captivating.
The difference between homophones and homographs can be easily explained. However, things start getting a bit more complicated when it comes to homonyms. But don’t worry; below, we’ll elaborate on what these three terms mean and provide examples of each.
