In George Washington's days, there were no cameras. One's image was either sculpted or painted. Some paintings of Washington showed him standing behind a desk with one arm behind his back while others ...

Etymology is the study of the origins of words and how their usage has changed over time. It's every bit the serious academic discipline you might expect it to be — except when it's not. As it turns ...

There are words that exist to be used, and words that exist to be carried. Myrrh is not conversational. It does not belong to small talk or modern efficiency. It belongs to a time when language ...

Africa’s name does not descend from the epistemic centers of Athens or Rome. The continent carries a name originating not from Greek philosophers or Roman conquerors, but from the indigenous Amazigh ...

Over the years, physicists have given names to the smallest constituents of our universe. This pantheon of particles has grown alongside progress in physics. Anointing a particle with a name is not ...

For many architects writing is an integral part of the design process, one that clarifies or pushes ideas into places sketches can't always reach. But for many, the origins of the words we use to ...

Where does the word “mother” come from? What does it mean? If, for some reason, you find yourself asking these questions, read on (and, as an aside, you might need to seek some professional help). For ...

Today, as it made its return as a print publication, Newsweek published a blockbuster story: It unveiled the identity of the founder of Bitcoin. One might say (and, today, many have been saying) that ...

Adam Aleksic, who posts as Etymology Nerd on social media, argues in a new book that algorithms are reshaping the English language. Credit...Peter Garritano for The New York Times Supported by By ...