Category English

Have you ever wondered what the word victory originally meant, and why it became a symbol of triumph?The word “victory” comes from the Latin word “vincere” which means “overcome”. It is the inflected form of the word “vincere”, which has…

We are all familiar with the word “war“. However, do you know anything about its roots. Before we go into detail, let’s take a quick look at some quotes about “war“. As Mustafa Kemal Atatürk put it decades ago, “Unless…

Have you ever made a sentence with the word “salvation“? Do you know where the word “salvation” comes from? The word means “the act of delivering from sin or saving from evil”. Although the word has theological senses, we have…

Any native speaker of the English language knows “ye” (not “yeah”, which signifies “yes” or “yep”) is the second person plural pronoun “you”, and “thou” is the archaic usage. Have you ever wondered about the differences among them, and how, when…

All languages are amazing and interesting. Words, fixed expressions and collocations are even more fascinating and impressive. Today, we will take a look at the word “swell” and study the word in Turkish as well. The origins of the word…

Current Perspectives on Vocabulary Learning and Teaching by Nuray Alagözlü, Vedat Kiymazarslan (editors of the book and chapter authors) This book offers current perspectives and research on vocabulary teaching and learning. Featuring international contributors, it reflects on theory and practice in…

Have you ever used the word “contemplate” in any written or spoken context? What does it mean? Where does “contemplate” come from? It means “observe deep in thought”, “take as a posssibility” or “think deeply”. The word “contemplate” comes from…

Have you ever heard about the word “bosh” or have you ever used it in your sentences? Do you know the origin of this word? Actually it means “showy or silly talk or writing.” Sometimes it may mean “nonsense”. It…

The English word yogurt ultimately comes from the Turkish word yoğurt. The Turkish noun yoğurt derives from the verb yoğurmak, meaning “to knead,” “to thicken,” “to coagulate,” or “to make dense.” This reflects the process by which milk thickens during…

Have you ever tasted baklava? Do you know where the word baklava comes from? In fact, the word “baklava” first appeared in English in the 1600s. However, it is believed that the word baklava was used by the Turks and…

Have you joined a “webinar” recently? Or have you ever “webified” any of your documents or haven’t you got any webifiable materials? Do you know what “webify“, “webifiable” and “webinar” mean? We have just begun to use these words frequently,…

This has been the first update since the coronavirus appeared in January, 2020. As you know the word “corona” has become extremely popular these days. It has almost become an indispensable part of our lives. Well, do you know what…

We often confuse the words status, statute and statue. Do you know the origins and meanings of these words? The word status comes from the Latin word status or stetu (=position, condition or state) and its origin dates back to…

Do you know the meaning of the words “casual” and “casualty” ? The word “casual” simply means “produced by chance”. It is a word borrowed from Latin “casus” or “casualis” , which dates back to 14th or 15th centuries. The…

Do you use the words tact, tactless and tactful in your speech or writing? Do you know the origins of the words tact, tactless and tactful? The word “tact“ simply means thoughtfulness, consideration or delicacy. It is a borrowed word…

Do you know the various uses of the word meet? What does it actually mean? What are its etymological roots? The word “meet” originally comes form Old English (metan) or Old German (motjanan). It means find, find out or encounter.…

You often hear people who use the word “discuss” with the preposition “about” that follows it. Is this correct? According to The BBI Combinatory Dictionary, “discuss about” is not possible. Similarly, according to The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, we cannot say…