Radio Omniglot

Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot.

New language pages:

New numbers page: Bowili (Tuwili), a Kwa language spoken in the Volta Region in southeastern Ghana.

New: Time, Family words and Colours pages in Plains Cree (ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐍᐏᐣ / nēhiyawēwin), an Algonquian language spoken in Canada and the USA.

New colours page: Polish (polski), a Western Slavic language spoken mainly in Poland.

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, entitled Tasteful Taxis, we find out what connects the words taxi, task, tax and taste.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Omniglot blog this week we find out what links the European wryneck (a type of bird) with spells and charms in a post called Birds of Ill Omen, and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken mainly in Moldova, Ukraine and Bulgaria.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Suwawa, a Philippine language spoken in Gorontalo Province on Sulawesi Island in Indonesia.

On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post about words for Barley and related things in Celtic languages.

For more Omniglot News, see:

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Podchaser.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

In this Adventure in Etymology we find out what connects the words taxi, task, tax and taste.

A taxi [ˈtaksɪj / ˈtæksi] is a vehicle, usually a car, that may be hired for single journeys by members of the public, particularly one with an automated meter to calculate the fare.

As a verb, to taxi means to move an aircraft on the ground under its own power, or to travel or transport by taxi. The aircraft moving sense comes from a slang term for training aircraft practicing ground operations, which appeared to move around like taxis.

Taxi is an abbreviation of taximeter cab from French taximètre (taximeter), from German Taxameter (taximeter), from Medieval Latin taxa (tax, charge) and -meter (device to measure a certain property) [source].

A taximeter is a device installed in a taxi that calculates the fare based upon distance travelled and waiting time. It is often abbreviated to meter [source].

Taxa comes from Latin taxō (to feel, charge, rate, judge), from PIE *teh₂g- (to touch, grasp, take with the hand) [source].

Cab is a clipping of cabriolet (a car or carriage with a retractable or folding top), which comes from French cabriolet (a convertible car, a cabriolet carriage), from Italian cabriola (horse caper), from Latin capreolus (a roe deer), from PIE *kápros (billy goat [source].

Words from the PIE root *teh₂g- (to touch, grasp, etc) possibly include tage (to take, get, catch, charge) in Danish, taxeren (to evaluate, appraise) in Dutch, taxa (fee, tax, rate) in Portuguese, teimlo (to feel, touch) in Welsh, and tack, tact, take, tangent, task, taste, tax and thwack in English [source].

Words from the PIE root *kápros (billy goat) possibly include gafr (goat) in Welsh, gabhar (goat) in Irish, hafur (billy goat) in Icelandic, kauris (deer) in Finnish, chevron (rafter) in French, and haver (to talk foolishly, to chatter) in Scots [source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.

Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot.

New language pages:

New adapted script: Cyrillic-Kiswahili (Кисирили-Кису’ахили), a way to write Swahili with the Cyrillic script devised by Myles Webley.

New numbers pages:

New phrases pages:

New Tower of Babel translations:

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, entitled Wending One’s Way, we wend our way through the origins of the word wend and find out what links the Vandals with the Mediterranean Sea and Andalusia in Spain.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Omniglot blog this week we find out what slow music has to do with being at ease in a post called At Ease, and there’s the usual language quiz. See if you guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language belongs to the Philippine language family, but isn’t spoken in the Philippines.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Maliseet-Passamaquoddy, an Eastern Algonquian language spoken in New Brunswick in Canada and Maine in the USA.

On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post about words for Suction and related things in Celtic languages.

For more Omniglot News, see:

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Podchaser.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

In this Adventure in Etymology we wend our way through the origins of the word wend.

Wend [wɛnd] means to direct (one’s way or course), to pursue one’s way, or to proceed upon some course or way, and used to mean to turn, to change, to adapt, to veer, to pass away, to disappear, to depart or to vanish.

It usually appears in phrases like ‘to wend one’s way’, for example, We wended our weary way westward. The modern past tense form of wend is wended, however it used to be went, which became the past tense of the verb to go.

Wend comes from Middle English wenden (to walk, to travel, to move, to leave, to sail), from Old English wendan (to turn, change, translate, go, depart, happen), from Proto-West Germanic *wandijan (to turn), from Proto-Germanic *wandijaną (to turn), from *windaną (to wind, wrap) from PIE *wendʰ- (to wind, turn) [source].

Words from the same roots include wandern (to hike, migrate, wander) in German, vende (to invite, call, welcome) in Danish, wędrować (to wander, roam) in Polish, vanne (hoop, band, rim) in Finnish, and guantlet, wand, to wander, to wind and possibly and vandal in English [source].

The word vandal (a person who needlessly destroys, defaces, or damages things, especially other people’s property), comes from the Vandals, a group of Germanic peoples who are known for sacking Rome in 455 AD/CE [source].

Their name comes from Proto-Germanic *wandilaz (to wander, a Vandal), from *wandōną (to wander), from PIE *wendʰ- (to wind, turn) [source]. Alternatively, Vandal may come from PIE *wanđ- (water), which is also the root of Old English name for the Mediterranean Sea: Wendelsǣ (“Vandal sea”) [source].

Andalusia, a region in southern Spain, might also get it’s name from the Vandals. It comes from Medieval Latin Andalusia, from Arabic الأندلس [al.ʔan.da.lus], possibly from Vulgar Latin *Vandalicia (“land of the Vandals”) or from Vandalic *Wandalitia / *Vandalitia (“land of the Vandals”) [source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.

Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot.

New language pages:

New constructed script: Aksara Varadun, an alternative way to write Indonesian created by Zafran Al Fathan.

New numbers page: Gokana (Gòkánà), an East Ogoni language spoken in Rivers State in southern Nigeria.

New phrases page Nyamwezi, a Bantu language spoken in western Tanzania.

New Tower of Babel translations:

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, entitled Gracefully Pleasing, we uncover the gratefully pleasing roots of the word grace.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Omniglot blog this week we find out links a New World monkey, a type of cloak, an order of friars and a type of coffee in a post entitled Monks, Monkeys & Coffee, and there’s the usual language quiz. See if you guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in Canada and the USA.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Tacana, a Western Tacanan language spoken in La Paz Department in northwestern Bolivia.

On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post about words for Service and related things in Celtic languages.

For more Omniglot News, see:

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Podchaser.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

In this Adventure in Etymology we uncover the gratefully pleasing roots of the word grace.

As a noun grace [ɡɹeɪs] can mean:

As a verb to grace can mean:

It comes from Middle English grace [ˈɡraː(t)sə] (the grace of God, luck, destiny, niceness, goodwill), from Old French grace (grace, favour, elegance), from Latin grātia (grace, thankfulness, thanks, influnce), from grātus (pleasing, dear, grateful), from Proto-Italic *gʷrātos (grateful, thankful) from PIE *gʷr̥H-tó-s (praised), from *gʷerH- (to praise, elevate) [source].

Words from the same roots include grazie (thank you) in Italian, grish (to invite, call, welcome) in Albanian, barn (opinion, view, judgement) in Welsh, bràth (judgement, destruction) in Scottish Gaelic, and agreement, bard, congratulate, grateful, gratitude and gratuity in English [source].

Incidentally, there were several other words for grace in Middle English, which included:

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.

Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot.

New language pages:

New constructed script: Ayneha, an alphabet created by Mahamadou Issiaka Maiga for the Songhay languages of Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Benin.

New numbers page:

New Tower of Babel translations:

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, entitled Beaming Trees, we discover what links the word beam with words for tree.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Omniglot blog this week we find out what links a type of pastry with lightning, flashes and sparkles in a post entitled Lightning Pastries, and there’s the usual language quiz. See if you guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in Bolivia.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Tindi (Идараб мицци), a Northeast Caucasian language spoken in Dagestan in the Russian Republic.

On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post about words for He, She, It and related pronouns in Celtic languages.

For more Omniglot News, see:

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Podchaser.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

In this Adventure in Etymology we discover what links the word beam with words for tree.

Meanings of beam [ˈbiːm] include any large piece of timber or iron long in proportion to its thickness, and prepared for use; one of the transverse members of a ship’s frame on which the decks are laid; a ray or collection of approximately parallel rays emitted from the sun or other luminous body.

It comes from Middle English be(e)m [bɛ̝ːm] (beam, pole, antler, tree), from Old English bēam [bæɑːm] (tree, beam, gallows), from Proto-West Germanic *baum (tree, beam), from Proto-Germanic *bagmaz (tree, beam), possibly from PIE *bʰuH- (to become, grow, appear) [source].

Words from the same Proto-Germanic roots include Baum (tree, boom) and beamen (to beam, teleport, project) in German (borrowed from English, popularised by Star Trek), bom (bar, barrier, beam) in Danish, boom (tree, beam, mast) in Dutch, puomi (boom, barrier, pole) in Finnish, boom in English [source].

Incidentally, in Middle English there were several words for tree, including tre (tree, plants, wood), bem (beam, a set of scales, antler, tree) and arbre (tree). The first two come from Old English and Proto-Germanic, while arbre comes from Old French arbre (tree).

Related words in English include arboretum (a place where many varieties of tree are grown for research, educational, and ornamental purposes), arboreal (tree-like, relating to trees) [source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.

Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot.

New language pages:

New numbers page:

New phrases page: Buli, a Gur language spoken in the Upper East Region in northern Ghana.

New Tower of Babel translations:

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, entitled Feeble Foibles, we discover what links the words feeble and foible with bleating and bells.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Omniglot blog this week we investigate various words for Rice in Swahili, Chinese and Japanese, and there’s the usual language quiz. See if you guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in Dagestan in Russia.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Lenakel (Netvaar), a Southern Oceanic language spoken on Tanna Island in southern Vanuatu.

On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post about words for we, us and related pronouns entitled We Ourselves.

For more Omniglot News, see:

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Podchaser.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

In this Adventure in Etymology we discover what links the words feeble and foible with bleating and bells.

Feeble [ˈfiːbəl] means deficient in physical strength; lacking force, vigour or effectiveness in action or expression, or faint.

It comes from Middle English feble [ˈfeːbəl / ˈfeːblə] (feeble, weak, insidious), from Anglo-Norman feble (weak, feeble), from Latin flēbilis (lamentable, doleful), from fleō (to weep, cry, lament), ultimately from PIE *bʰleh₁- (to bleat, cry), from *bʰel- (to sound, speak, roar, bark) [source].

Words from the same PIE roots include блеять (blejat’ – to bleat) in Russian, blaten (to bleat, to speak pointlessly) in Dutch, bjalla (bell, to be noisy, to call) in Icelandic, and bell, bleat and blatant in English [source].

Foible [ˈfɔɪbəl] means a quirk, idiosyncrasy, frailty or mannerism; an unusual habit that is slightly strange or silly, or a weakness or failing of character.

It comes from Early Modern French foible (feeble, weak), from Old French feble / foible (weak, feeble), from Latin flēbilis (lamentable, doleful), and so on – the same root as feeble [source].

Words from the same Latin roots include feble (weak, feeble) in Catalan, flébil (tearful, fragile) in Portuguese, fäbless (penchant, fondness) in Swedish, and Faible (soft spot, weakness, craze) in German [source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.