#45: Preposterous — Latin for Putting Everything in Backwards Order

The Why of Words

The Why of Words
#45: Preposterous — Latin for Putting Everything in Backwards Order
Jun 05, 2026 Season 1 Episode 45
Explore the surprising Latin origins of 'preposterous'—a word that literally means 'backwards.' Discover how Roman scholars from the 1st century BCE embedded a physical concept into language, and why most people today miss the true meaning hidden in its Latin roots: prae (before) and posterus (behind).

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