Words that Sound Fancy
From Latin roots meaning “equal voice,” this word refers to a mutually agreed decision or shared rule.
This Renaissance figure tried to create a human-powered flying machine and spent years dissecting corpses to understand anatomy.
Who is Leonardo da Vinci?
Known as Edo during the Tokugawa shogunate, this city became the capital under Emperor Meiji.
What is Tokyo?
This fruit, native to Southeast Asia, contains an enzyme called bromelain that can digest protein—hence its ability to tenderize meat.
What is pineapple?
A gal moves to France, can’t speak the language, but still gets a job, friends, dates, and perfect outfits.
What is Emily in Paris?
This luxurious-sounding adjective means “in name only”—like a figurehead king.
What is nominal?
Before developing the theory of evolution, this scientist ate most of the animals he discovered as part of a "gastronomical quest."
Who is Charles Darwin?
This Southeast Asian country was once a French colony called French Indochina, later part of a war that bore its name.
What is Vietnam?
Though commonly associated with Ireland, this vegetable originated in the Andes and was introduced to Europe by Spanish explorers.
What is the potato?
Kids in the ‘80s ride bikes, get nosebleeds, and solve interdimensional problems their parents are way too chill about.
What is Stranger Things?
Often used in law or philosophy, this term means “truth universally acknowledged”... except not everyone agrees.
What is axiom?
This 17th-century genius invented calculus and once stared at the sun for so long he damaged his vision "for science."
Who is Isaac Newton?
A former British protectorate, this Middle Eastern country was called the Trucial States before unifying in 1971.
What are the United Arab Emirates?
This ancient legume, popular in Egyptian and Roman times, gets its name from the Latin word for “little ram,” due to its shape.
What is chickpea?
A baby alien eats frogs, commits crimes, and is somehow still a merchandising icon.
What is The Mandalorian?
This theatrical word refers to a dramatic turning point, especially a sudden realization.
What is catharsis?
This Nobel-winning chemist isolated radium—but often carried radioactive materials in their pockets, leading to fatal exposure.
Who is Marie Curie?
Before it was called Istanbul, it was Constantinople. And before that? This Greek name.
What is Byzantium?
Used in Indian cooking, this green, pod-like fruit contains mucilage—a slimy substance that acts as a natural thickener.
What is okra?
A high schooler takes AP Chemistry and Adderall, and accidentally becomes the internet’s most stylish unreliable narrator.
What is Euphoria?
Often associated with indulgent lifestyles in crumbling empires, this adjective describes excessive luxury leading to moral or cultural decline.
What is decadent?
This 20th-century psychologist taught rats to play basketball, played ping-pong with pigeons, and raised his daughter in a "baby box."
Who is B.F. Skinner?
This African nation was known as Upper Volta until a 1984 revolution renamed it to reflect “the land of upright people.”
What is Burkina Faso?
This fruit, used to make tequila, stores water in thick, spiny leaves rather than its “fruit,” making it a botanical oddball.
What is agave?
Two coworkers fall in love through email without ever seeing each other’s faces, because surveillance capitalism is cute now.
What is Love is Blind?