The Story of English in 100 Words

Preface

A Short History of English Words, Part 1

A Short History of English Words, Part 2

A Short History of English Words, Part 3

A Short History of English Words, Part 4

A Short History of English Words, Part 5

Number 1: "Roe – the first word (5th century)", Part 1

Number 1: "Roe – the first word (5th century)", Part 2

Number 2: "Lea – naming places (8th century)", Part 1

Number 2: "Lea – naming places (8th century)", Part 2

Number 3: "And – an early abbreviation (8th century)", Part 1

Number 3: "And – an early abbreviation (8th century)", Part 2

Number 4: "Loaf – an unexpected origin (9th century)", Part 1

Number 4: "Loaf – an unexpected origin (9th century)", Part 2

Number 5: "Out – changing grammar (9th century)", Part 1

Number 5: "Out – changing grammar (9th century)", Part 2

Number 6: "Street – a Latin loan (9th century)", Part 1

Number 6: "Street – a Latin loan (9th century)", Part 2

Number 7: "Mead – a window into history (9th century)", Part 1

Number 7: "Mead – a window into history (9th century)", Part 2

Number 8: "Merry – a dialect survivor (9th century)", Part 1

Number 8: "Merry – a dialect survivor (9th century)", Part 2

Number 9: "Riddle – playing with language (10th century)", Part 1

Number 9: "Riddle – playing with language (10th century)", Part 2

Number 10: "What – an early exclamation (10th century)", Part 1

Number 10: "What – an early exclamation (10th century)", Part 2

Number 11: "Bone-house – a word-painting (10th century)", Part 1

Number 11: "Bone-house – a word-painting (10th century)", Part 2

Number 12: "Brock – a Celtic arrival (10th century)", Part 1

Number 12: "Brock – a Celtic arrival (10th century)", Part 2

Number 13: "English – the language named (10th century)", Part 1

Number 13: "English – the language named (10th century)", Part 2

Number 14: "Bridegroom – a popular etymology (11th century)"

Number 15: "Arse – an impolite word (11th century)", Part 1

Number 15: "Arse – an impolite word (11th century)", Part 2

Number 16: "Swain – a poetic expression (12th century)"

Number 17: "Pork – an elegant word (13th century)"

Number 18: "Chattels – a legal word (13th century)"

Number 19: "Dame – a form of address (13th century)", Part 1

Number 19: "Dame – a form of address (13th century)", Part 2

Number 20: "Skirt – a word doublet (13th century)"

Number 21: "Jail – competing words (13th century)", Part 1

Number 21: "Jail – competing words (13th century)", Part 2

Number 22: "Take away – a phrasal verb (13th century)", Part 1

Number 22: "Take away – a phrasal verb (13th century)", Part 2

Number 23: "Cuckoo – a sound-symbolic word (13th century)"

Number 24: "Cunt – a taboo word (13th century)", Part 1

Number 24: "Cunt – a taboo word (13th century)", Part 2

Number 25: "Wicked – a radical alteration (13th century)"

Number 26: "Wee – a Scottish contribution (14th century)"

Number 27: "Grammar – a surprising link (14th century)", Part 1

Number 27: "Grammar – a surprising link (14th century)", Part 2

Number 28: "Valentine – first name into word (14th century)", Part 1

Number 28: "Valentine – first name into word (14th century)", Part 2

Number 29: "Egg – a dialect choice (14th century)"

Number 30: "Royal – word triplets (14th century)", Part 1

Number 30: "Royal – word triplets (14th century)", Part 2

Number 31: "Money – a productive idiom (14th century)"

Number 32: "Music – a spelling in evolution (14th century)", Part 1

Number 32: "Music – a spelling in evolution (14th century)", Part 2

Number 33: "Taffeta – an early trade word (14th century)", Part 1

Number 33: "Taffeta – an early trade word (14th century)", Part 2

Number 34: "Information(s) – (un)countable nouns (14th century)", Part 1

Number 34: "Information(s) – (un)countable nouns (14th century)", Part 2

Number 35: "Gaggle – a collective noun (15th century)", Part 1

Number 35: "Gaggle – a collective noun (15th century)", Part 2

Number 36: "Doable – a mixing of languages (15th century)"

Number 37: "Matrix – a word from Tyndale (16th century)", Part 1

Number 37: "Matrix – a word from Tyndale (16th century)", Part 2

Number 38: "Alphabet – talking about writing (16th century)", Part 1

Number 38: "Alphabet – talking about writing (16th century)", Part 2

Number 39: "Potato – a European import (16th century)", Part 1

Number 39: "Potato – a European import (16th century)", Part 2

Number 40: "Debt – a spelling reform (16th century)", Part 1

Number 40: "Debt – a spelling reform (16th century)", Part 2

Number 41: "Ink-horn – a classical flood (16th century)", Part 1

Number 41: "Ink-horn – a classical flood (16th century)", Part 2

Number 42: "Dialect – regional variation (16th century)", Part 1

Number 42: "Dialect – regional variation (16th century)", Part 2

Number 43: "Bodgery – word-coiners (16th century)"

Number 44: "Undeaf – a word from Shakespeare (16th century)", Part 1

Number 44: "Undeaf – a word from Shakespeare (16th century)", Part 2

Number 45: "Skunk – an early Americanism (17th century)", Part 1

Number 45: "Skunk – an early Americanism (17th century)", Part 2

Number 46: "Shibboleth – a word from King James (17th century)", Part 1

Number 46: "Shibboleth – a word from King James (17th century)", Part 2

Number 47: "Bloody – an emerging swear-word (17th century)", Part 1

Number 47: "Bloody – an emerging swear-word (17th century)", Part 2

Number 48: "Lakh – a word from India (17th century)", Part 1

Number 48: "Lakh – a word from India (17th century)", Part 2

Number 49: "Fopdoodle – a lost word (17th century)", Part 1

Number 49: "Fopdoodle – a lost word (17th century)", Part 2

Number 50: "Billion – a confusing ambiguity (17th century)", Part 1

Number 50: "Billion – a confusing ambiguity (17th century)", Part 2

Number 51: "Yogurt – a choice of spelling (17th century)", Part 1

Number 51: "Yogurt – a choice of spelling (17th century)", Part 2

Number 52: "Gazette – a taste of journalese (17th century)", Part 1

Number 52: "Gazette – a taste of journalese (17th century)", Part 2

Number 53: "Tea – a social word (17th century)", Part 1

Number 53: "Tea – a social word (17th century)", Part 2

Number 54: "Disinterested – a confusible (17th century)", Part 1

Number 54: "Disinterested – a confusible (17th century)", Part 2

Number 55: "Polite – a matter of manners (17th century)", Part 1

Number 55: "Polite – a matter of manners (17th century)", Part 2

Number 56: "Dilly-dally – a reduplicating word (17th century)", Part 1

Number 56: "Dilly-dally – a reduplicating word (17th century)", Part 2

Number 57: "Rep – a clipping (17th century)", Part 1

Number 57: "Rep – a clipping (17th century)", Part 2

Number 58: "Americanism – a new nation (18th century)", Part 1

Number 58: "Americanism – a new nation (18th century)", Part 2

Number 59: "Edit – a back-formation (18th century)", Part 1

Number 59: "Edit – a back-formation (18th century)", Part 2

Number 60: "Species – classifying things (18th century)", Part 1

Number 60: "Species – classifying things (18th century)", Part 2

Number 61: "Ain’t – right and wrong (18th century)", Part 1

Number 61: "Ain’t – right and wrong (18th century)", Part 2

Number 62: "Trek – a word from Africa (19th century)", Part 1

Number 62: "Trek – a word from Africa (19th century)", Part 2

Number 63: "Hello – progress through technology (19th century)", Part 1

Number 63: "Hello – progress through technology (19th century)", Part 2

Number 64: "Dragsman – thieves’ cant (19th century)", Part 1

Number 64: "Dragsman – thieves’ cant (19th century)", Part 2

Number 65: "Lunch – U or non-U (19th century)", Part 1

Number 65: "Lunch – U or non-U (19th century)", Part 2

Number 66: "Dude – a cool usage (19th century)"

Number 67: "Brunch – a portmanteau word (19th century)", Part 1

Number 67: "Brunch – a portmanteau word (19th century)", Part 2

Number 68: "Dinkum – a word from Australia (19th century)", Part 1

Number 68: "Dinkum – a word from Australia (19th century)", Part 2

Number 69: "Mipela – pidgin English (19th century)", Part 1

Number 69: "Mipela – pidgin English (19th century)", Part 2

Number 70: "Schmooze – a Yiddishism (19th century)"

Number 71: "OK – debatable origins (19th century)", Part 1

Number 71: "OK – debatable origins (19th century)", Part 2

Number 72: "Ology – suffix into word (19th century)", Part 1

Number 72: "Ology – suffix into word (19th century)", Part 2

Number 73: "Y’all – a new pronoun (19th century)", Part 1

Number 73: "Y’all – a new pronoun (19th century)", Part 2

Number 74: "Speech-craft – an Anglo-Saxonism (19th century)"

Number 75: "DNA – scientific terminology (20th century)", Part 1

Number 75: "DNA – scientific terminology (20th century)", Part 2

Number 76: "Garage – a pronunciation problem (20th century)", Part 1

Number 76: "Garage – a pronunciation problem (20th century)", Part 2

Number 77: "Escalator – word into name into word (20th century)", Part 1

Number 77: "Escalator – word into name into word (20th century)", Part 2

Number 78: "Robot – a global journey (20th century)", Part 1

Number 78: "Robot – a global journey (20th century)", Part 2

Number 79: "UFO – alternative forms (20th century)", Part 1

Number 79: "UFO – alternative forms (20th century)", Part 2

Number 80: "Watergate – place-name into word (20th century)"

Number 81: "Doublespeak – weasel words (20th century)", Part 1

Number 81: "Doublespeak – weasel words (20th century)", Part 2

Number 82: "Doobry – useful nonsense (20th century)", Part 1

Number 82: "Doobry – useful nonsense (20th century)", Part 2

Number 83: "Blurb – a moment of arrival (20th century)"

Number 84: "Strine – a comic effect (20th century)", Part 1

Number 84: "Strine – a comic effect (20th century)", Part 2

Number 85: "Alzheimer’s – surname into word (20th century)", Part 1

Number 85: "Alzheimer’s – surname into word (20th century)", Part 2

Number 86: "Grand – money slang (20th century)", Part 1

Number 86: "Grand – money slang (20th century)", Part 2

Number 86: "Grand – money slang (20th century)", Part 3

Number 87: "Mega – prefix into word (20th century)"

Number 88: "Gotcha – a non-standard spelling (20th century)", Part 1

Number 88: "Gotcha – a non-standard spelling (20th century)", Part 2

Number 89: "PC – being politically correct (20th century)", Part 1

Number 89: "PC – being politically correct (20th century)", Part 2

Number 90: "Bagonise – a nonce-word (20th century)", Part 1

Number 90: "Bagonise – a nonce-word (20th century)", Part 2

Number 91: "Webzine – an internet compound (20th century)", Part 1

Number 91: "Webzine – an internet compound (20th century)", Part 2

Number 92: "App – a killer abb (20th century)"

Number 93: "Cherry-picking – corporate speak (20th century)", Part 1

Number 93: "Cherry-picking – corporate speak (20th century)", Part 2

Number 94: "LOL – netspeak (20th century)", Part 1

Number 94: "LOL – netspeak (20th century)", Part 2

Number 95: "Jazz – word of the century (20th century)", Part 1

Number 95: "Jazz – word of the century (20th century)", Part 2

Number 96: "Sudoku – a modern loan (21st century)"

Number 97: "Muggle – a fiction word (21st century)", Part 1

Number 97: "Muggle – a fiction word (21st century)", Part 2

Number 98: "Chillax – a fashionable blend (21st century)", Part 1

Number 98: "Chillax – a fashionable blend (21st century)", Part 2

Number 99: "Unfriend – a new age (21st century)", Part 1

Number 99: "Unfriend – a new age (21st century)", Part 2

Number 100: "Twittersphere – future directions? (21st century)", Part 1

Number 100: "Twittersphere – future directions? (21st century)", Part 2