Category English

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…

Have you ever used the word “procrastinate” in your sentences or speeches? Do you know the origin of the word “procrastinate” ? The initial parts come from Latin words cras and crastinus which mean tomorrow or belonging to tomorrow. The…

Do you know the meaning of the word commemorate? The word commemorate means bring to remembrance. It comes from Latin. The initial prefix “com-” refers to together and the root “memorate” simply refers to remember: remember together. That is a…

Have you ever user this word in your life? What does “pernicious” mean? The word “pernicious” means destructive. What is then its origin? The word pernicious is originally French and Latin. The French word “pernicios” and the Latin word “perniciosus”…

Do you know how to use or have you ever used the word “promulgate” ? The word “promulgate” is another word which comes from Latin. It appeared and began to be used in 1500s. The early form was promulgere, promulgare…

As a verb, the word “don” is the contraction of “do” and “on” and it means put on or wear. Similarly, the word “doff” is the contraction of “do” and “off” , which means “take off” , “remove” or “undress”…

Have you ever used the word “embrace” in your own sentence? Do you know the origin of the word “embrace” . The word “embrace” comes from Latin “inbracchium”. It literally means “in arm” . The word embrace is a word…

Do you know what “communicate” means? Or do you know where it originally comes from? The word communicate comes from Latin “communicatus” or “communicare” . It means “share or inform” . In 1500s it was used to mean “transfer to…

The origin of the word abberration dates back to 1500s. It is a Latin word. The initial affix “ab” means “out of the way” or “off” . The original root is errare which means “wander” or “stray” . Thus, the…

Have you ever seen someone using “acclaim” in his or her sentences? What does the word acclaim really mean? Where does “acclaim” originally come from? The word acclaim has Latin roots. The initial “ad” plus “clamare” literally means “to shout”…

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 possibility” or “think deeply”. The word “contemplate” comes from…

Have you ever used the word paraphernalia in your essays or paragraphs? The word paraphernalia comes from the Latin word paraphernalia bona (=paraphernal goods) and the Greek word parapherna. It means “equipment” or “apparatus”. Para (=beside) and pherne (=carry). Here are…

Pamukkale, Türkiye

Do you know what giga means? Do you pronounce it corectly? The word giga means one billion. It might have come from Greek. The prefix or word “giga” is pronunced as it is written. The Turkish counterpart of the word…

This word “snug” probably comes from German or Dutch. It’s a 16 century word. It means “protected”, “safe”, “well-protected“, “comfy”, “cozy”, “closefitting” or “tight”. The Turkish equivalent of the word “snug” is “güvenli“, “rahat“, and “kuytu“. Some examples: The children…

The word “cozy“ (or cosy in British English) probably comes from Norwegian, one of the Scandinavian languages. It means comfortable, comfy or friendly. It is usually used as an adjective, but there is a verb usage as well. Here are…

The word “yogurt” (or yoghurt) is probably known very well by anyone in the world. But have you ever wondered about what it really means and where it comes from etymologically? Yogurt or yoghurt is originally Turkish. The initial root yog…