etymology is destiny

SCAM ALERT – IMPORTANT The cat has already been fed.

Also from Language Hat, I enjoyed this rant about a New Yorker article about dictionary-making: languagehat.com/menand-on-th...

attention to detail

NYC folks! I'll be in NYC on Thursday, January 29 to talk about creating the new edition of the @merriam-webster.com Collegiate Dictionary at the Barnes & Noble in the Upper West Side. stores.barnesandnoble.com/event/978006...

As a native Masshole, I could literally fall asleep to this—somehow very comforting. Also Affleck’s delivery is superior youtu.be/FhC76xAq7oE

I wrote about the death of the American-made tuba 1850-2025 substack.com/home/post/p-...

L'occasion de rappeler une fois encore que l'Académie n'a aucune puissance normative sur la langue et son évolution.

The 2025 Word of the Year is "slop," both as a noun for low-quality AI-generated content and as a combining form for anything of little value. Read the full press release. #WOTY2025 #ADS2026 #LSA2026 americandialect.org/2025-word-of...

The section on the history of dictionaries in France in this collection is by moi!

Plato has been silenced. Government censorship is alive and well in the USA Disgusting hypocrisy from people who pretend to be for free speech www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...

NYC folks! I'll be in NYC on Thursday, January 29 to talk about creating the new edition of the @merriam-webster.com Collegiate Dictionary at the Barnes & Noble in the Upper West Side. stores.barnesandnoble.com/event/978006...

Finding all these love notes after the holidays is making me so happy!

The American Dialect Society (@americandialect.org) has announced the nominations for its Word of the Year—this is the one that matters, people! Vote will be tonight. americandialect.org/nominations-...

I finally have this beauty in hand! ♥️ I never thought I’d be this excited about a new dictionary, but it’s a lot of fun to explore. And it’s so cool (nerdy) that I follow a bunch of the editors who worked on this and know their names. 😅📖 • #MerriamWebster #Dictionary #Nonfiction #Bookstagram

It took four months of concerted effort to use up all four colors--even green and red--in a 4-Color Bic pen.

Bookes are like cheese!!! Yes!!!!

"Unibare" is a Japanese word that means “the moment when someone realizes you’re wearing Uniqlo and not a more expensive brand.” And 51 other things I learned in 2025. fritinancy.substack.com/p/52-things-...

I have been in the same room with @benzimmer.bsky.social, @jacklynch000.bsky.social, and @petersokolowski.bsky.social and it's so much fun to discuss words.

Did you ever notice that the lyrics of Christmas songs often include archaic and obsolete words? hark yule tidings yon yore ye don deck www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/arc...

I think some of the greatest delights in the business of etymology are words—especially everyday words—whose origins we just don’t know. So, this year, I’ll do an etymological Advent calendar on this theme: words with origins that are obscure, uncertain, or otherwise unknown.

!!!!

Happy Chet Baker's birthday!

I was feeling really angry and morose. But then I drank a glass of wine (or two) and put on Vince Guraldi, and now the world seems better.

Listening to CHRISTMAS SONGS by Eddie Higgins (p), Jay Leonhart (db), and Joe Ascione (d). A remarkably tasteful and understated Christmas album. Jay Leonhart doing some sweet, sweet work on the double bass. Jazzsky #jazz

My new newsletter contains more than FIFTY Words of the Year from around the world. Those won't be the final hashtag#WotY2025, but it is the final newsletter of the year! lynneguist.substack.com/p/2025-words...

An example of how individuals can shape spelling (that I wish I'd included in my book) is 'ache'. It was historically spelled 'ake', but because Dr Johnson and others thought (reasonably but incorrectly) that it came from Greek, its spelling shifted to a Greek CH (like 'chronic', 'school') instead.

"Winter Wonderland," solo piano by Harry Connick, Jr. From "When Harry Met Sally..." www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZO4...

I believe in forgiveness for everyone, except people who use “So what are you working on next?” as a conversational icebreaker

Look, we all know how great This Is Spinal Tap is, but, having just re-watched it, I must insist you do the same. It is the gift that is eternally giving. No matter how many times you’ve seen it, I promise you you’ll find a new gag you never clocked before.

Happy Birthday to Barry Harris (1929-2021). Here's an excerpt from The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit--now streaming on Prime Video--that captures his bebop mastery. A long sequence in the film goes deep on his playing and role as a legendary teacher and mentor. www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWC0...

I got THE BEST Chanukah gift: the new @merriam-webster.com! Not just America's most trusted dictionary. Also one of America's most trusted social commentators. We'd elect it president if we could. frfr Happy to report that the entry for "abide" mentions cats

"Winter Wonderland," solo piano by Harry Connick, Jr. From "When Harry Met Sally..." www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZO4...

You'd better believe that if I worked for @merriam-webster.com I'd be voting for "dictionary" every year too. theonion.com/merriam-webs...

THIS.

Notre mot de l’année 2025: hallucination Bonne fin d’année! #langueQC

Attention northern word nerds: The very first Canadian Word of the Year is MAPLEWASHING!

Shakespeare's use of flat adverbs is a helpful yardstick: 'tis bitter cold exceeding poor grievous sick noble spoken I think the point is that it was clearly understood and not viewed as ungrammatical.

The word of the year obviously needs to be: "wherever you get your podcasts"

"Too Marvelous for Words" on Sinatra's birthday. The song with "Webster's Dictionary" in the lyrics! www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TtM...

It's Sinatra's 110th birthday anniversary today.

Webster's Unabridged of 1934 had an entry for "Hark the Herald Angels Sing."

A new print dictionary is the opposite of online slop... www.merriam-webster.com/collegiate-d...

I had my students do this - it was literally Show and Tell. And you know what? They were amazing. Their presentations were smart and insightful and personal. And they showed SO MUCH SUPPORT for one another. It was great. Now I have to go do a mandated AI “training.”

'Merry' is an adverb in this case.

NOW

'Let it Snow' with all the positive lines removed

Spinning a few cuts by Gordon Goodwin tonight from 8pm EST, stream @nepublicmedia.bsky.social. My non-profit big band opened for Gordon's Phat Band twice, and I was able to hang and have some meals with him and the band. Great to hear such playing and writing up close.