By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
Some words have curious, and revealing, etymologies. The origins of the word ‘plagiarism’ are certainly revealing. The meaning of the word is fairly well-known: ‘plagiarism’ means stealing another person’s work, especially their writing, and passing it off as your own. To plagiarise is to seek to get the credit for something you didn’t produce yourself.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
What connects one of the biggest-selling authors in the world with the word ‘nerd’? This now-ubiquitous word – and a global American export almost as recognisable as Coca-Cola – was unknown to F. Scott Fitzgerald, Hart Crane, or Jack London, but it’s now established throughout the English-speaking world.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
Where did the word thoughtcrime originate? Most people, if asked, would probably shrug and say they don’t know. Of those people who feel confident enough to venture an answer, most of those would probably answer, ‘In George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four.’
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
Why is an atlas called an atlas? Where does the word come from? And what connects atlases, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Atlas Mountains?
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
Where does the word cyberspace come from? The origins of this word are a little more complex than is usually acknowledged, so it’s worth looking into the story of how cyberspace came to be a ‘thing’. And where did that cyber- prefix even originate in the first place?