words – News Stories About words - Page 5

Oldest English Words Include 'Two,' 'Three'—But Not 'Four'

Feb 26, 2009 1:59 PM CST

Oldest English Words Include 'Two,' 'Three'—But Not 'Four'

(Newser) - "I," "we," "two," and "three" have existed for tens of thousands of years, making them among the oldest words in the English language, new research reveals. Computer analysis of Indo-European languages helped isolate "the ways we think words change and their...

English Language
Nears 1M Words

OPINION

Jan 2, 2009 4:58 PM CST

English Language Nears 1M Words

Foreign words help language reach milestone

(Newser) - If your New Year’s resolution is never to use the words “change,” “bailout,” and “Phelpsian” again, you’ll get some help on or about April 29, when the English language will acquire its millionth word—or so says a Texas-based group that tracks such...

Dictionary Gives
Rare Words
One Last Chance

Oct 4, 2008 8:49 AM CDT

Dictionary Gives Rare Words One Last Chance

Apodiectic use could save niddering and oppugnant

(Newser) - The Collins English Dictionary is giving rarely used words a last chance before they are dumped from the new edition, Time reports. Language lovers were outraged at plans to exuviate (shed) words like oppugnant (combative), so the editors have made public a list of 24 candidates for deletion. If the...

C-E-R-T-A-I-N Scrabble Winners

Aug 30, 2008 10:01 AM CDT

C-E-R-T-A-I-N Scrabble Winners

ZQFMGB not included

(Newser) - Sure, Bart Simpson could fake it at Scrabble—but for those of us playing against a wit sharper than Homer's, here are some gems Mental Floss magazine dug up that actually mean something:

Cwm: A valley created by glacial shifts.
Adz: An axe-like woodworking tool.
Xu: The currency of Vietnam.

...

Eat, Drink, Be Merry With Dictionary's Newest Adds

Jul 7, 2008 3:52 PM CDT

Eat, Drink, Be Merry With Dictionary's Newest Adds

Invite a 'pescatarian' to your 'infinity pool'

(Newser) - The Merriam-Webster dictionary has added nearly 100 new words based on frequency of use in the American lexicon, the AP reports. "If somebody is using it to convey a specific idea and that idea is successfully conveyed in that word, it's ready to go in the dictionary," said...

News Writers Should Strive to Write as Much as Possible, Says Tribune Co.

Opinion

Jun 10, 2008 3:47 PM CDT

News Writers Should Strive to Write as Much as Possible, Says Tribune Co.

Longer is better, right?

(Newser) - The Tribune Co., which as you have probably guessed is the company that produces the Chicago Tribune, among other newspapers, is bringing a revolution, or a big change, to the news business. Tribune Co.’s Chief Operating Officer, Randy Michaels, has decided to start measuring productivity by word count,...

The Most Useless Words of 2007

Jan 1, 2008 6:00 PM CST

The Most Useless Words of 2007

'Surge,' 'random,' 'under the bus' top list of cringe-worthy neologisms

(Newser) - Do you roll your eyes every time a newscaster calls a coincidence a "perfect storm"? Cringe the thousandth time a teenager invokes "random"? The faculty at Lake Superior State University shares your vexation. Here are some selections from the school's list of words and phrases to...