Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot. New language pages: Naki, an Eastern Beboid language spoken in the Northwest Region of Cameroon. Nali, an Oceanic language spoken on Manus Island in northern Papua New Guinea. Ndoola (laˊ ndòòlaˋ), a Bantoid language spoken mainly in Nigeria, and also in Cameroon. Chiquitano (Bésɨro), a language […]

In this Adventure in Etymology we’re gathering together the good roots of the word gather. Gather [ˈɡæðə / ˈɡæðɚ] as a verb can mean to collect normally separate things; to harvest food; to accumulate over time; to congregate or assemble; to bring parts of a whole closer; or to infer or conclude. As an noun, […]

Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot. New language pages: Lukpa, a Southern Gur language spoken in Benin and Togo. Chepang, a Binanderean language spoken in Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea. Mungbam (Mùŋgbàm), a Southern Bantoid language spoken in the Northwest Region of Cameroon. Rengao (Rơngao), a North Bahnaric language spoken in […]

In this Adventure in Etymology we uncover the burning roots of the word torrent. Torrent [ˈtɒɹənt / ˈtoɹənt] as a noun can mean a violent flow (as of water, lava, etc), a stream suddenly raised and running rapidly, or a large amount or stream of something. As an adjective, torrent means rolling or rushing in […]

Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot. New language pages: Maonan (Vah kiong naemz), a Kam-Sui language spoken in Guangxi and Guizhou in southern China. Guhu-Samane, a Binanderean language spoken in Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea. Zyphe, a Maraic language spoken the north of Chin State in western Myanmar. Komi-Yazva (коми-ёдз көл), […]

In this Adventure in Etymology we deftly discover the right roots of the word adroit. Adroit [əˈdɹɔɪt] means deft, dexterous or skillful. Related words include adroitness (skillfulness or ease of ability), and maladroit (awkward, clumsy, inept). It comes from French adroit (skilful, apt, skilled), from à (to) and droit (right, law, right angle), so could […]

Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot. New language pages: Mundani (Mundàni), a Southern Bantoid language spoken in the Southwest Region of Cameroon. Amuzgo (Ñòmndaá), an Eastern Oto-Manguean language spoken in Guerrero and Oaxaca in southern Mexico. Cuicatec (Dibaku / Dbaku), a Mixtecan language spoken in the northwest of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. […]

In this Adventure in Etymology we uncover the crowded roots of the word frequent. Frequent [ˈfɹiː.kwənt] as an adjective can mean: Done or occuring often – common, regular, recurring. Occurring at short intervals – continual, steady. Addicted to any course of conduct; inclined to indulge in any practice; habitual; persistent. It used to mean full, […]

Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot. New language pages: Mundabli-Mufu (Ngɔ Njan), a Western Beboid language spoken in the North West Region of Cameroon. Wamey (Wameỹ / Koñagi), a Senegambian language spoken in Senegal and Guinea. Faiwol, a Mountain Ok language spoken in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. New numbers pages: Wamey, […]

In this Adventure in Etymology we untangle the perplexing roots of the word perplexity. Perplexity [pəˈplɛksɪti / pəɹˈplɛksəti] is: The state or quality of being perplexed (puzzled, confused, bewildered) Something that perplexes. (information theory) A measure of how well a probability distribution or model predicts a sample. It comes from Middle English perplexite ([a state […]