Day The notion of a “day” may appear straightforward, yet its complexities emerge when considering diverse linguistic and cultural view points. While commonly perceived as …
Updated on Etymologeo
Time

maps & other fictions

Day The notion of a “day” may appear straightforward, yet its complexities emerge when considering diverse linguistic and cultural view points. While commonly perceived as …

North / South West / East South

A map of the word nothing in several different languages and its etymology

Nightmares were a mystery often explained as evil spirits visiting people when they are most vulnerable, during sleep. Many languages will make reference to the …

How to name a new invention? Simplify. In Ancient Greece the term “alphabet” was not a completely new invention, but they needed to name it. …

Basil, the king This etymology map is about the names of one culinary herb, basil. It comes from βασιλικόν φυτόν (basilikón phutón) “royal (plant)” in Ancient Greek. The …

Nuts are in our everyday language a variety of edible seeds or fruits enclosed in a hard shell. For most people, “nuts” typically encompass a …

The amazing etymologies of several fruits across languages

Earth The (planet) Earth often takes its name from the word “earth”. That is true for most languages. But not all. Brown-colored languages form a …

Christmas New Year’s Eve On December 31st, many people celebrate the arrival of the New Year, while others focus on welcoming the first day of …