ETYMOLOGY
WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF THE WORD "BICYCLE?"
FRENCH & GREEK
WHAT LANGUAGE DOES THE WORD "KANGAROO" COME FROM?
THE WORD KANGAROO COMES FROM THE ABORIGINAL LANGUAGE OF AUSTRALIA.
WHAT DOES THE ROOT WORD "BIO" MEAN (AND PROVIDE AN EXAMPLE WORD USING THIS ROOT)?
THE GREEK ROOT "BIO" MEANS "LIFE" AND APPEARS IN WORDS LIKE "BIOLOGY."
THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE OF BRAZIL IS PORTUGUESE.
WHAT LITERARY DEVICE INVOLVES A PLAY ON WORDS?
WORDPLAY INVOLVING A PLAY ON WORDS IS KNOWN AS A "PUN."
WHAT IS THE ETYMOLOGY OF "PIANO?"
ITALIAN, FROM "PIANOFORTE."
FROM WHICH CULTURE DOES THE WORD "YOGA" ORIGINATE?
"YOGA" ORIGINATES FROM ANCIENT INDIAN CULTURE.
WHERE DOES THE ROOT "CREED" ORIGINATE FROM AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
MANDARIN CHINESE HAS THE MOST NATIVE SPEAKERS WORLDWIDE.
WHAT'S THE TERM FOR A WORD THAT READS THE SAME BACKWARD AND FORWARD?
A PALINDROME.
"ETYMOLOGY" REFERS TO THE STUDY OF WORD ORIGINS AND THEIR HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT.
WHAT'S THE HISTORICAL ORIGIN OF THE WORD "VACCINE?"
"VACCINE" HAS HISTORICAL ORIGIN IN THE LATIN WORD "VACCA," MEANING COW.
WHAT DOES THE ROOT WORD "ASTRON" MEAN (AND PROVIDE AN EXAMPLE WORD USING THIS ROOT)?
THE GREEK WORD FOR "STAR" IS "ASTRON," FORMING THE BASIS OF "ASTRONOMY."
HOW MANY OFFICIAL LANGUAGES ARE THERE IN SOUTH AFRICA?
SOUTH AFRICA HAS 11 OFFICIAL LANGUAGES.
IN LITERATURE, WHAT'S THE TERM FOR GIVING HUMAN TRAITS TO NON-HUMAN ENTITIES?
PERSONIFICATION.
WHAT IS THE ECOLOGICAL CONNECTION BETWEEN "ELECTRICITY" AND "AMBER?"
ELECTRICITY IS CONNECTED TO THE GREEK WORD "ELEKTRON," MEANING AMBER.
"TSUNAMI" COMES FROM THE JAPANESE LANGUAGE.
WHAT DOES THE LATIN ROOT "AQUA" MEAN (AND PROVIDE AN EXAMPLE USING THIS ROOT)?
THE LATIN WORD FOR "WATER" LED TO THE TERM "AQUARIUM."
WHICH LANGUAGE HAS THE MOST VOWELS IN ITS ALPHABET? A VOWEL, FOR EXAMPLE, IS REPRESENTED BY LETTERS SUCH AS A, E, I, O, AND U.
THE LANGUAGE WITH THE MOST VOWELS IN ITS ALPHABET IS HAWAIIAN.
WHAT'S THE TERM FOR A WORD THAT SOUNDS LIKE WHAT IT MEANS (E.G. "BUZZ")?
ONOMATOPOEIA.
WHAT IS THE FASCINATING ETYMOLOGICAL CONNECTION BETWEEN THE WORDS "SINCERE" AND "SINISTER?"
BOTH ORIGINATE FROM LATIN, BUT THEY EVOLVED TO HAVE VASTLY DIFFERENT MEANINGS. SINCERE MEANS "PURE" WHILE "SINISTER" ORIGINALLY MEANT "LEFT," BUT TOOK ON A NEGATIVE CONNOTATION THAT IS NOW PERCIEVED AS THREATENING OR EVIL.
WHAT ANCIENT CIVILIZATION GAVE US THE WORD "PHARAOH?"
THE WORD "PHARAOH" HAS ITS ORIGINS IN ANCIENT EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION.
WHAT DOES THE GREEK ROOT "CHRONO" MEAN (AND GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF A WORD USING THIS ROOT)?
THE GREEK ROOT "CHRONO" MEANS "TIME," AND APPEARS IN WORDS LIKE "CHRONOLOGY."
APPROXIMATELY, HOW MANY OTHER LANGUAGES HAS ENGLISH "BORROWED" FROM SINCE ITS INFANCY (CONCEPTION)?
AS MANY AS 350 (OTHER LANGUAGES MAKE UP 80% OF ENGLISH).
WHAT'S THE TERM FOR A WORD OR PHRASE SPELLED THE SAME BUT HAS DIFFERENT MEANINGS (E.G. "BANK" OR "BLUE")?
HOMOGRAPH.