Monday, June 2, 2008

Etymology on line--yessss!

Words are easier to spell (and more interesting in general) if we have some idea of their origins. I stumbled onto this interesting website via Charles Hodgson's daily etymology blog (http://podictionary.com/?p=810), and found myself yelling "YESSSSS!".

From a layperson's perspective, etymology seems to be part linguistics, part history and anthropology, and part shrewd guesswork. It's a fascinating topic. Check out the site's etymology for "bee": http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=bee&searchmode=none.

Although the entries have helpful links to an on-line dictionary, the random sampling of "killer bee" spelling words I entered did not turn up in its database. Nevertheless, it's worth a look. Some words to try: dog, hocus-pocus, window and narwhal. Have fun!