Word Origins – Page 5 – Interesting Literature

The Curious Origin of the Word ‘Atheism’

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

Had the history of the English language played out differently, instead of talking about being atheist we might be describing ourselves as atheal or declaring our atheonism.

Where does the word ‘atheism’ come from, and what does it mean? The origins of the term atheism are at once straightforward and complex, and the meaning of the word is often misconstrued – or, in some cases, only half-construed.

So let’s take a closer look at the etymology of the word, as well as what it means.

The Curious Origin of the Word ‘Agnostic’

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

Where did the word ‘agnostic’ come from, and what does it mean? And what links the originator of this handy term and one of the great writers of twentieth-century dystopian literature?

Agnostic is a term that’s often misused and misunderstood, so let’s take a look at the word’s meaning and etymology to discover the truth about ‘agnosticism’ and what it means to be an ‘agnostic’.

The Curious Origins of the Phrase ‘Thought Police’

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

Where does the term ‘thought police’ come from? If you’re tempted to answer, ‘George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four’, read on. In fact, read on anyway, because the answer may surprise you. Although Orwell popularised the phrase thought police in his classic dystopian novel, he was not the first person to use it.

The Curious Origin of the Word ‘Virus’

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

Here’s a question for you. When the word ‘virus’ was first used in English, what did it mean? Let’s make it a little easier by making the quiz multiple-choice. Did ‘virus’ originally mean:

a) venom or poison
b) violent animosity
c) semen
d) an infectious agent?

The Curious Origins of the Word ‘Vaccine’

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

What connects vaccinations with cows? And how did a young boy and a milkmaid help to change the course of medical history? These questions are both related to the origin, or etymology, of the words ‘vaccine’ and ‘vaccination’. So let’s take a closer look at these words.