English Reference

Collections

Where English words come from

Entries grouped by the tradition that produced them — and essays on how the language got this way.

Origins by tradition

Idioms and words grouped by where they came from.

  1. Greek Mythology

    Expressions the ancient Greek myths left in everyday English.

    42 entries

  2. The Bible

    Everyday English phrases that came straight from scripture.

    90 entries

  3. The Roman World

    What Rome left in English — Caesar, the arena, the roads, the law, and the poets.

    61 entries

The story of English

How English became a Germanic language with a French vocabulary, a Latin wardrobe, and a spelling system nobody designed.

  1. Where English came from

    Five invasions, one language. Why English has three words for everything and a spelling system frozen in 1500.

    9 min read

  2. Doublets: the same word, arriving twice

    Cow and beef are the same word. So are disc, dish, desk, and dais. What happens when a word comes home by two roads.

    7 min read

  3. How American English broke away — and which half actually moved

    Received Pronunciation is younger than the United States. On most of the famous differences, it was Britain that changed.

    9 min read