When you live inside the English language, you begin to see associations that are invisible to others, the way that the little kid in the movie “The Sixth Sense” sees dead people. Making connections ...

You have seen the cartoons. A gaunt man in a white robe with a long white beard carries a sign that reads, “repent.” A smarty-pants caption accompanies the cartoon. For most people, repentance means ...

Because a prude is prudent when it comes to sexual matters, you might take it for granted that “prude” and “prudent” have the same origins. But making that assumption “wouldn’t be prudent,” as the ...

Many English words today have roots from Greek, particularly in fields like medicine. Does that mean you can go from expert knowledge of classical Greek literature and scientific terminology directly ...