There are many words in the English language that are so versatile that they carry more than one meaning. On the one hand, you have homonyms, words that are spelled the same but have different meanings, such as “tree bark” and “dog bark.” On the other hand, some words can have a single meaning, yet …
Vocabulary
Many people think that accents are what other people have. This makes sense, because you’re so used to your own voice it’s hard to think that it might be different to other people. Accents, however, are like opinions: Everybody has one. There’s no reason to be upset by this. The different accents we use to …
What is the meaning of “as above, so below”? “The meaning of “As above, so below” is that events on Earth reflect in the astral plane. Another interpretation suggests the individual (microcosm) is influenced by society (macrocosm). The expression is tied to Hermeticism and the Emerald Tablet. In essence, the expression examines places with duality, …
Language evolves constantly, and the presence of the Internet has really sped things up. One case in point are emoticons like the humble :). Not only do these pictographic characters express emotion, they’ve now been around long enough that their meanings are ambiguous. In this post, we’ll look at three possible meanings for the smiley …
A recurring theme on our blog is how the internet has impacted the English language, giving birth to new words and expressions. For instance, the current president of the United States has been known to “troll” people online using “memes” and “hashtags.” And, we are inundated by “spam” emails every day. However, it isn’t just …
Time and again, we’ve seen how language evolves by enriching itself from different cultures, sort of like a cook who creates a new dish every night by mixing his old recipes. In fact, as you are reading this article, you are experiencing the result of evolution right now. You see, English is a mutt language, …
Words are fascinating creatures. Some have clear cut roles to play, while others can carry more than one meaning. Words also evolve over time, and tracking this evolution can be so engrossing that there is an entire field of study devoted to the subject called etymology. This is not to mention how some words don’t …
English is filled with expressions and phrases that only make sense depending on the context. For instance, when someone says “whatever,” they could mean one of several things. They could be indifferent to the question asked, they might be dismissive towards the person asking the question, or they might be feeling plain hostility and irateness. …
The Internet has changed many things about life, so it’s perhaps no surprise that it’s changed the way we use English as well. The origins of Internet slang are varied, ranging from technological meanings that have morphed into verbal shortcuts to references to badly spelled memes to even further and stranger things. In this article, …