Saturday Matinee: Etymoleon

Summary

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History Daily: Saturday Matinee – Etymoleon (April 11, 2026)

Episode Theme & Purpose

This special Saturday Matinee episode of History Daily, hosted by Lindsay Graham, serves as a crossover introduction to the podcast Etymoleon—a show dedicated to the captivating and occasionally surprising history of words. Through a curated selection of over 35 etymological stories, Leon, the creator of Etymoleon, explores how the origins and transformations of words open unique windows into history, culture, and the quirks of language.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction: The Fascination of Etymology

• Sideburns and Ambrose Burnside: An opening anecdote about how the facial hair style "sideburns" traces its roots back to Civil War General Ambrose Burnside. The evolution from "Burnsides" to "sideburns" captures the unpredictable journey of word origins.

  “That wonderful term for that rather suspicious style… all us cool kids did [have sideburns in the 90s].” – Lindsay Graham, [00:38]

• Debunked Myths: Jokingly invents a false etymology for ‘mustache’:

  “Did you know that the mustache is named after the French nobleman Count Moustache du Fable? You did not, because I made that one up.” – Lindsay Graham, [01:17]

2. Everyday Words with Unexpected Histories ([03:50])

The Etymoleon Main Segment

• Name Origins from People

  • Bluetooth: Derived from Harald Bluetooth, a 10th-century king known for uniting Danish tribes, paralleling the idea of connecting devices.

    “Bluetooth is named after Harald Bluetooth, a 10th century king who united various Danish tribes. That idea of bringing people together inspired the name…” – Leon, [05:53]

  • Mesmerize: From Franz Mesmer, whose pseudo-scientific theories of “animal magnetism” led to the word meaning “to hypnotize.”
  • Maverick: Traces back to Samuel Maverick, a Texan who didn’t brand his cattle—hence, “an independent thinker.”
  • Galvanize: Named for Luigi Galvani, whose frog leg experiments with electricity inspired the term.
  • Silhouette: From Etienne de Silhouette, linked oddly to cheap shadow portraits in 18th-century France—possibly as a joke about austerity or due to his hobby.

• Mythological Origins

  • Promethean: Daring, innovative—after Prometheus, who brought fire to humanity.
  • Nemesis: One’s downfall—after the Greek goddess of retribution.
  • Sisyphean: A never-ending, futile task—from Sisyphus and his eternal boulder ([07:50]).

3. Surprising Linguistic Connections ([09:24])

• Dollar’s Journey

  • The word “dollar” ultimately comes from thal (meaning valley) and the Czech town of Jáchymov (Joachimsthal). Minted coins (thaler) spread through Europe, influencing the American and Australian currency names.

    “The word dala ultimately traces back to a word meaning valley… silver was discovered there, and a local noble began minting coins from it.” – Leon, [09:24]

• Cilantro vs. Coriander: Same Latin root coriandrum, but “cilantro” comes via Spanish to American English, revealing quirks of language migration ([10:34]).

• Glamour & Grammar: Both arise from Greek “grammatike”—originally about learning and even magic. Scottish dialect led to “glamour” growing into a word for enchantment ([11:13]).

• Easel & Ass: “Easel” comes from the Dutch esel (donkey), drawing on the idea of “carrying a load” ([11:49]).

4. Food Words and Their Origins ([14:00])

• Minestrone & Minister: Both stem from serving—minestrone as soup, minister as someone who serves ([14:09]).
• Restaurant: From French restaurer (“to restore”), via early soup shops with “restorative broths.”
• Spirits as “Water of Life”:
  • “Vodka” (Russian voda = water)
  • “Whiskey” (Gaelic uisce beatha = water of life)
  • “Eau de Vie” (French = water of life)
• Crudités & Crude: Both derive from Latin crudus (raw, unrefined) ([14:09]).
• Aspartame: Named for aspartic acid, derived from asparagus—reflecting its botanical root ([14:09]).
• Arrabbiata Sauce: Named from Italian rabia (anger), linking the spicy heat to “rage” and “rabid.”

5. Evolving Meanings ([14:09–20:18])

• Cordial: Went from heartfelt to polite in tone; from Latin cor (heart). Also a British fruit drink or American liqueur, originally thought to “stimulate the heart.”
• Egregious: Used to mean “outstandingly good,” now “shockingly bad.” From Latin ex (out) + grex (flock).
• Nice: Shifted from foolish to pleasant; Latin nescius (ignorant).
• Silly: From happy to foolish over centuries.
• Girl and Boy: “Girl” once referred to any child; “boy” to a male servant, later a male child.
• Peas: Once “peason,” singular “pea” invented by analogy.
• Meat: Once meant any food, narrowed over time to flesh.

6. Social Language & Conduct ([22:25])

• Parlor, Parliament, Parole, Parable: All from roots meaning to speak.

• Gossip & Sibling: “Sib” meant kin; “gossip” began as “god-sib” (godparent), then close friends, then idle talk ([23:00]).

• Orthodox/Orthodontics: “Ortho” (straight/right way).

• Etiquette: From French étiquette (a label or note), prompted by Louis XIV’s court slips describing how to behave ([25:02]).

• Ticket/Sticker: Share roots with etiquette.

• Literary Coinages:

  • Gargantuan/Pantagruelian: Giants from Rabelais.
  • Quixotic: Impractically idealistic, from Don Quixote.
  • Lilliputian/Brobdingnagian: Tiny/enormous, from Gulliver’s Travels.

7. Latin Roots in Common Words ([27:32])

Leon closes with a rapid-fire round of Latin roots and examples:

• Bene—good/well: benevolent, benefit, benign
• Ducere—to lead: duke, educate, seduce
• Capere—to seize: capture, perceive, intercept
• Facere—to make/do: factory, defect, fashion
• Sequere—to follow: sequence, execute, consecutive
• Pendere—to hang: suspend, appendix, pendant
• Manus—hand: manipulate, manual, emancipate

“Once you know the roots of words, you start to see them everywhere.” – Leon, [26:53]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Surprising Connections:

  “Most of the words we use every day have hidden histories. Once you start noticing them, it completely changes how you hear language.” – Leon, [03:50]

• On Name Origins:

  “Bluetooth is named after Harald Bluetooth… His nickname likely came from a dead tooth that appeared dark blue or black.” – Leon, [05:53]

• On Food Words:

  “Aspartame comes from aspartic acid, which itself is named after asparagus, where the compound naturally occurs.” – Leon, [14:09]

• On Language Evolution:

  “What we now call a single pea was once peasant. Because peas sounded like a plural, English speakers reanalyzed it, creating P as the singular and peas as the plural.” – Leon, [19:47]

• On Social Terms:

  “Parlor comes from the Latin parlor, meaning to speak. Parlor later came to refer to rooms in manor houses used for private conversation.” – Leon, [22:35]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Segment/Topic | |-----------|------------------------------------------------------| | 00:38 | Sideburns etymology (Burnside) / Introduction | | 03:50 | Start of Etymoleon content—what is etymology? | | 05:53 | Words named for people (Bluetooth, Mesmerize, etc.) | | 09:24 | Dollar: from valley to currency | | 10:34 | Cilantro vs. coriander; glamour vs. grammar | | 11:49 | The “easel-ass” connection | | 14:00 | Food terms, culinary origins, and idiomatic changes | | 19:47 | Pluralization: peas and meat | | 22:25 | Social conduct: parlor, parliament, etiquette | | 27:32 | Latin roots rapid round |

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Takeaways

• Etymology uncovers surprising, sometimes quirky links between words, people, and culture.
• Many modern terms—Bluetooth, silhouette, maverick—honor real historical figures.
• Words regularly shift in meaning, sometimes ending up near their opposites (egregious, nice, silly).
• Culinary and social words often reflect deep historical and social changes.
• Recognizing root words illuminates connections across languages and time.

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Recommendation:
If you enjoyed this linguistic journey, Leon encourages listeners to search for and follow Etymoleon: Word History, which boasts over 100 episodes exploring even more word origins.

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Transcript

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[Etymalion Host]

If you are up on your American Civil War history, you no doubt have discovered this fun tidbit of etymological curiosity. The name we use for facial hair that grows past the ears but doesn't join into a full beard and leaves the chin clean shaven, that is Sideburns comes from the gruff and peculiar looking Ambrose Burnside, a Union General, three time governor of Rhode island and United States Senator, a distinguished man, even if he hadn't contributed so meaningfully to our language. But he did. And now we have that wonderful term for that rather suspicious style, even though I had them in the 90s. All us cool kids did. But there are a lot of etymologies that are fascinating, puzzling, amusing or dumbfounding. For instance, did you know that the mustache is named after the French nobleman Count Moustache du Fable? You did not, because I made that one up. But on today's Saturday matinee, we bring you some real etymologies that are just as improbable or interesting. From the podcast Etymalion, a show about the history of words I hope you enjoy. While you're listening, be sure to search for and follow Etymalion. We put a link in the show notes to make it easy for you.

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[Leon (Etymoleon) - Word History Podcast Host]

What does connecting two devices together have to do with Bluetooth? Why is it cilantro in America and coriander in Britain? And how is the dollar related to a valley in the Czech Republic? You'll be able to answer these questions after listening to this episode. Most of the words we use every day have hidden histories. Once you start noticing them, it completely changes how you hear language. That's what etymology is, tracing where words come from and how their meanings change over time. Take the word manufacture today. It makes you think of mass production. Originally, it meant to make by hand, from the Latin manus, meaning hand, and

[Leon (Etymoleon) - Word History Podcast Co-Host]

facare, meaning to make those roots appear.

[Leon (Etymoleon) - Word History Podcast Host]

In other words, manus, meaning hand, gives us manicure care of the hands. Faquere, meaning to make, is behind factory and fashion. Sometimes linguistic connections are stranger.

[Leon (Etymoleon) - Word History Podcast Co-Host]

Words that seem completely unrelated, like gossip

[Leon (Etymoleon) - Word History Podcast Host]

and sibling, can share the same origin.

[Leon (Etymoleon) - Word History Podcast Co-Host]

Other words are named after real people.

[Leon (Etymoleon) - Word History Podcast Host]

Some mean almost the opposite of what they once did, and others trace their origins back to literature and mythology. I'm Leon, also known as Etymoleon, creator of Word History, the podcast, and Derivati the daily etymology word game. In this episode, I'll take you through over 35 word origins. If you want to know what asparagus has to do with sugar, why a pasta sauce is angry and how the words glamour and grammar are connected, keep listening.

[Leon (Etymoleon) - Word History Podcast Co-Host]

Some people don't just make history, they become words. Bluetooth is named after Harald Bluetooth, a 10th century king who united various Danish tribes. That idea of bringing people together inspired the name for the wireless technology that connects devices. His nickname likely came from a dead tooth that appeared dark blue or black. His real name was Harald Gormson. The name Bluetooth was originally intended as a temporary placeholder when the technology was developed in the 1990s. Mesmerize comes from Franz Mesmer, an 18th century doctor who believed in a mysterious force called animal magnetism. He claimed he could cure patients by controlling invisible forces in the body using magnets. His methods often sent people into trance like states and his name became a verb, but meaning to hypnotise or capture attention. Maverick comes from Samuel Maverick, a 19th century Texan who refused to brand his cattle, something nearly all ranchers did to mark ownership. Maverick came to mean someone who doesn't follow rules or convention. Galvanize can mean to shock or stimulate interaction and is named after Luigi Galvani. In the late 18th century, he found that when electricity was applied to the legs of dead frogs, they twitched as if they were alive. Sideburns were once called sidewhiskers but later became known as Burnsides, named after the 19th century army officer Ambrose Burnside, who famously wore them. Over time, the elements of his name flipped to form sideburns, which sounded more natural. Silhouette comes from Etienne de Silhouette, a French finance Minister. In the 18th century. These simple shadow portraits became associated with his name, but no one is completely sure why. One theory is that it was a joke about his strict austerity measures as the portraits were cheap and minimal. Another suggests the simplicity of the images reflected the short length of his time in office. A third claims he may have have made these kind of portraits himself as a hobby. We can go much further back to find words inspired by people. Greek mythology provides many examples. Promethean describes someone daring or innovative. It comes from the Titan Prometheus, who defied the gods by stealing fire and giving it to humanity. The word nemesis refers to a rival or something that leads to a downfall. Nemesis was the goddess of retribution, ensuring that justice was served. A task that is impossible to complete. Can be described as Sisyphean. This comes from the character Sisyphus who is condemned to roll a boulder up a hill for eternity, only for it to fall back down each time he reached.

[Leon (Etymoleon) - Word History Podcast Host]

Some words seem to have nothing in common, but they come from the same place. The word dala ultimately traces back to a word meaning valley. In the Middle Ages, the Czech town of Yakimov was known as Sankhjakim Stal. The name combines Joachim for the biblical father of Mary and thal, meaning valley of a word from the same root as the English word dale, which also means valley. In the 16th century, silver was discovered there, and a local noble began minting coins from it. These coins took their name from the town and became known as Jurgensthalers. Over time, the name was shortened to thalers and the term spread across Europe. The Spanish carried their version of the word to the Americas, and when the United States sought to distance itself from British influence, the it adopted dollar as its currency name. In the 1960s, Australia also adopted the

[Leon (Etymoleon) - Word History Podcast Co-Host]

term dollar when it moved to decimal currency. Other suggestions for the name at the

[Leon (Etymoleon) - Word History Podcast Host]

time included the Royal, the rue and the Austral.

[Leon (Etymoleon) - Word History Podcast Co-Host]

What the British call coriander, Americans call cilantro.

[Leon (Etymoleon) - Word History Podcast Host]

They sound different, but they come from the same root. It's easy to see how the Latin coriandrum became the British coriander. In American English, cilantro came through Spanish, likely through a variant colliandrum, where the r shifted to an L colianrum, becoming cilantro. The word glamour makes you think of beauty and elegance, while grammar deals with rules and correctness. They seem completely unrelated, but one does

[Leon (Etymoleon) - Word History Podcast Co-Host]

come from the other.

[Leon (Etymoleon) - Word History Podcast Host]

In ancient Greek and Latin, grammatike and grammatica referred to letters. This became grammar in old French and

[Leon (Etymoleon) - Word History Podcast Co-Host]

English, meaning the correct use of language. It also developed a broader sense of

[Leon (Etymoleon) - Word History Podcast Host]

learning, especially the study of magic. From that older meaning came the Scottish pronunciation form glamour, from first used to describe magic and later adopted into wider English to mean something enchanting. The frame an artist uses to hold

[Leon (Etymoleon) - Word History Podcast Co-Host]

their work is named after an animal.

[Leon (Etymoleon) - Word History Podcast Host]

The connection comes from carrying a load.

[Leon (Etymoleon) - Word History Podcast Co-Host]

The word easel is linked to ass through the Dutch word esel, meaning donkey.

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If you work in university maintenance, Grainger

considers you an MVP because your playbook

ensures your arena is always ready for tip off. And Grainger is your trusted partner, offering

the products you need all in one

place, from H Vac and plumbing supplies

to lighting and more, and all delivered

[Leon (Etymoleon) - Word History Podcast Co-Host]

with plenty of time left on the clock.

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[Leon (Etymoleon) - Word History Podcast Host]

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[Leon (Etymoleon) - Word History Podcast Co-Host]

It feels good to Geico Many culinary terms have origins that link back to everyday words. Minestrone might seem like an unusual name for a soup, especially when most soups are named after their ingredients. Its full name, minestrone di vedure, means vegetable soup, and the deeper origin of minestrone points to the idea of the soup being something served. The word comes from the same root as the word minister in Britain, someone who serves in political office, and the word administration in the U.S. the serving government soup also plays a role in the origin of the word restaurant. The first modern restaurants trace back to the late 18th century. A soup seller in France named Boulanger is often credited as the first restaurateur. He sold what he called restorative broths, believed to restore health and energy. From the French word for restore came the English word restaurant. There's a pattern in the origins of whiskey, vodka and eau de vie. Vodka comes from the Russian Voda, meaning water. Whiskey comes from the Gaelic rishkebaya, meaning water of life. And eau de vie is French for water of life too. A Crudite platter consists of raw vegetables served with dips. The name comes from the Latin crudus, meaning raw. The same root appears in crude oil, describing its unrefined state and cruel, harsh or raw treatment. Haute cuisine literally means high cooking in French, haute, coming from the Latin altus, meaning high. You can see this root in words like alto, the highest male singing voice, altitude, height above ground and exalt to praise highly. The artificial sweetener known as aspartame, was discovered in the 1960s by an American chemist researching treatments for gastric ulcers. While testing compounds, he licked his finger to pick up a piece of paper and noticed a sweet taste. The name aspartame comes from aspartic acid, one of its components, which itself is named after asparagus, which where the compound naturally occurs. The tomato based pasta sauce arrabbiata, made with chili and garlic, has a fiery origin. The name comes from the Italian rabia, meaning anger, from the idea that the spice might make diners flushed or heated. The same Latin root appears in English words like rage and rabid. If you're enjoying these word origins, remember to follow my podcast Etymoli on word history. For now, words that have shifted over time. Take cordial. It originally meant heartfelt and sincere. You can still hear that in phrases like you are cordially invited today, though it often suggests a more polite surface level friendliness, especially between people who don't really get on. The word comes from the Latin cor, meaning heart. This is a relative of an ancient Greek root seen in words like cardiac and cardiovascular, both relating to the heart. The Latin form also gives us words like courage and even record from the idea of remembering by heart or mind. Cordial is also used for a drink. In Britain it refers to a concentrated sweet fruit drink. In America, it can mean a sweet liqueur. This meaning comes from the idea that these drinks were once medicinal tonics thought to stimulate the heart. Egregious once meant outstanding in a good way. Today it usually describes something shockingly bad. The word comes from the Latin ex, meaning out, and grex, meaning flock, so it originally referred to something that stood out from the crowd. That same root, grex, meaning flock, also appears in words like segregate, aggregate, gregarious and congregate, all of which relate to groups. The word nice once meant foolish or ignorant before it came to mean pleasant. It comes from the Latin ni, meaning not, and sca're, meaning to know. That same root gives us the word science. The Latin form meant knowledge more generally, rather than its modern, more specific sense being the study of the physical and natural world. The word silly goes back to Old English, the language spoken in England between the 5th and 12th centuries, where it meant happy. Today it has shifted to mean foolish. The word girl once referred to any young child, male or female. Its meaning narrowed in the early 15th century, around the same time that boy emerged for a male child, having previously referred to a male servant. What we now call a single pea was once peasant. Because peas sounded like a plural, English speakers reanalyzed it, creating P as the singular and peas as the plural. Any type of food or a meal was referred to as meat up until the 15th century, when the term began to narrow towards just the flesh of an animal.

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ensures your arena is always ready for tip off. And Grainger is your trusted partner, offering

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to lighting and more. And all delivered with plenty of time

left on the clock so your team always gets the win.

Call 1-800-GRAINGER visit grainger.com or just stop

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This is the story of the 1.

As a maintenance tech at a university,

he knows ordering from multiple suppliers takes time away from keeping their arena up and running.

That's why he counts on Grainger to

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Call 1-800-GRAINGER click granger.com or just stop

by Grainger for the ones who get it done.

[Grainger Hospital Procurement Announcer]

This is the story of the One As a procurement manager for a hospital system, she keeps every facility in her network stocked and ready. That's why she counts on Grainger to be her single source for thousands of products, from disinfectants to lighting, air filters and more. And with fast, dependable delivery, Grainger helps her keep every facility stocked, safe and running smoothly. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.

[Grainger University Maintenance Announcer]

This is the story of the 1.

As a maintenance tech at a university,

he knows ordering from multiple suppliers takes time away from keeping their original arena up and running.

That's why he counts on Granger to

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H vac parts to plumbing supplies, all in one place.

And with fast, dependable delivery, he's stocked

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call 1-800-GRAINGER click granger.com or just stop

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[Leon (Etymoleon) - Word History Podcast Co-Host]

Now for words pertaining to social conduct, how we speak, and how we behave Silence was encouraged in monastic settings. In medieval times, monks and nuns were expected to speak only when necessary. When discussion was required to run the monastery, it took place in a designated room called the parlor. The term comes from the Latin parlor, meaning to speak. Parlor later came to refer to rooms in manor houses used for private conversation, and eventually to family sitting rooms. In 19th century American English, the meaning expanded further to include businesses such as beauty parlors and pizza parlours. From parlour, meaning to speak, we also get parliament, referring to the UK's legislative body where speaking and debate take place. The same route appears in Parole, from the idea of a spoken pledge to secure release and parable a short story speaking of stories. Those that centre on animals are known as fables. This comes from a Latin root also meaning to speak, which also gives us affable, describing someone who is easy to talk to. When conversation turns to sharing information about others, especially when it may not be true, it becomes gossip. The word gossip is related to the word sibling. In Old English, sib meant kinship or relationship. From this came sibling, which originally referred to any relative, not just brothers or sisters. After falling out of use in the Middle Ages, the term sibling was revived in the early 20th century as scientific and genetic research required a more precise term for people who share parents to explain how sibling is related to gossip in Old English, a God, Sib was a godparent, God for the spiritual connection and sib for kinship. Over time, the word came to refer to close friends, then to the kind of talk shared between them, and eventually to idle or speculative talk about others. Behavior is as much a part of social conduct as speech. Orthodox describes adherence to established beliefs, especially in religion. The word origin here is about keeping on the right path.

[Leon (Etymoleon) - Word History Podcast Host]

It comes from the ancient Greek orthos, meaning straight.

[Leon (Etymoleon) - Word History Podcast Co-Host]

The same root appears in orthodontics, the field of dentistry that deals with the straightening of the teeth. Etiquette refers to the rules of behavior in polite society. Its origins are often linked to King Louis XIV of France, who is said to have issued written rules of conduct on small slips of paper for his court. These acted as labels instructing visitors on how to behave, including simple rules such as not walking on the grass. The word etiquette comes from a Middle French term meaning label, referring to those slips of paper. The same route also gave English the word ticket and is also related to sticker. Many words are shaped by characters from literature. Gargantuan and Pantagruelian both describe something enormous. They come from Gargantua and Pantagruel, a series of novels by Francois Rabelais about the adventures of two giants. Quixotic describes someone idealistic to the point of impracticality. It comes from Don Quixote by Cervantes, a novel about a man who sets out on misguided adventures. Lilliputian refers to something very small. It comes from Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, about a traveller who visits Lilliput inhabited by tiny people. Brobdignanian is the opposite, describing something enormous, also from the same tale where Gulliver visits a land of giants. Once you know the roots of words, you start to see them everywhere. In this closing segment, we'll look at some Latin roots, their meanings, and the English words that come from them. You should be able to work out the connections and maybe even think of a few more Bene means good or well and gives us benevolent benefit and benign. Jukes means to lead and appears in Duke, educate and seduce. Capio means to seize and shows up

[Leon (Etymoleon) - Word History Podcast Host]

in capture, perceive and intercept.

[Leon (Etymoleon) - Word History Podcast Co-Host]

Faquere means to make or do, producing words like factory, defect, and fashion. Sequa means to follow, forming words like sequence, execute, and consecutive. Pendere means to weigh or hang, seen in suspend, append and pendant. Manas means hand and appears in manipulate, manual and emancipate. That's the end of this episode, but there are more Word Origins on my podcast Search Etymoleon Word History where you'll find over 100 episodes. Have a listen and remember to leave a rating.

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