About word origin of the day

Here The Muse Of Language Arts dissects words or combinations of words and investigates their essential meaning.

Words have histories and tell stories. In this feature, The Muse is not trying to replicate the dictionary or etymological tract. The Muse is not simply after the dictionary definition of a word or words, but rather seeks to lift the rocks that words hide thereunder. The Muse asks how and why a word is used the way it is and assesses how the word relates to other words.

About word origins

When The Muse uses the term word origin, the word etymology comes into play—etymology in its broadest sense. Etymology includes the thinking behind the story of how and why a word got to be what it is; it means its provenance.

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caution

Take this feature with a grain of salt. As you read a word origin, remember that emphasis is placed on the novelty of a word's origin or derivation. The Muse's chief interest lies in how strange, unusual, or unexpected circumstances can (or could) shape the meaning of a word, its pronunciation, or its usage.

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words, words, words

Words can be interesting, amusing, edifying, informative, challenging, tantalizing, unsettling, annoying, or titilating. To demonstrate this fact, every day The Muse Of Language Arts:

• Defines, explains, and dissects a different word or expression. Visit The Muse's page called Word Of The Day: click here.
• Pulls apart a different word, looking for its roots. Visit The Muse's page called Word Origins for the etymological origins of words. click here.
• Presents a newly invented or well established portmanteau word for your consideration. Visit The Muse's page called Portmanteau Words: click here.
• Presents a different Latin word or expression: click here.
• Presents a mangled word that may give you pause to think—or laugh. Visit The Muse's page called Wrong Word of the Day: click here.

Electricka's reference shelf

Electricka's Resource Shelf is similar to a reference desk at a library or to reference works you might buy at a bookstore to use at home, school, or at the office. Use the Shelf to look up words in reference works such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, or etymology books, find information about the arts, or locate a variety of different kinds of arts resources.

• Visit Electricka's Reference Shelf: click here.