Etymoleon - Word History, the etymology podcast.
Word History is a podcast for people who enjoy words and history.
Each episode takes a small set of words linked to a theme. You'll hear what they mean, where they come from and which familiar words share the same linguistic roots, along with stories from the past related to their use.
Listen for words that sharpen expression, and brief histories that show how ideas and practices, as well as language, took shape. Across an archive of more than a hundred episodes, you'll find explanations of word, name and phrase origins.
The majority of etymologies featured return to Old English, Ancient Greek, Latin and Old French, providing a look into languages of the past that underpin English.
New episodes on Sundays.
Play the daily word game Derivety: https://derivety.com
Get in touch: https://etymoleon.com
Etymoleon - Word History, the etymology podcast.
84. Colours
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This time we're tracing the origins of colour names and the terms and phrases linked to them. Learn how conditions like grapheme-colour synesthesia, where people associate letters or numbers with colours, and tetrachromacy, the ability to see a wider range of colours, got their names. Discover how colour terms like turquoise, taupe, maroon, indigo and orange entered the language, why green screen is becoming an anachronistic term, and how Queen Victoria played a role in popularising white wedding dresses, alongside other influences. Also featured are the origins of the expressions 'paint the town red' and 'red herring'.