Where English words come from

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

Idioms and words grouped by where they came from.

• Greek Mythology 42 Expressions the ancient Greek myths left in everyday English.
• The Bible 90 Everyday English phrases that came straight from scripture.
• The Roman World 61 What Rome left in English — Caesar, the arena, the roads, the law, and the poets.

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

• Where English came from 9 MIN Five invasions, one language. Why English has three words for everything and a spelling system frozen in 1500.
• Doublets: the same word, arriving twice 7 MIN Cow and beef are the same word. So are disc, dish, desk, and dais. What happens when a word comes home by two roads.
• How American English broke away — and which half actually moved 9 MIN Received Pronunciation is younger than the United States. On most of the famous differences, it was Britain that changed.