/r/etymology

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Why does the word Caca/Kacke/Kaka (poop) show up in so many languages?

282 upvotes • StepInSalad

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Why do the words for baby animals keep becoming the common word for individuals of any age?

222 upvotes • AdditionalThinking

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How do we get 'will not' --> 'won't'?

153 upvotes • PlatypusDream

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Why are the residents of some countries referred to with a noun, such as 'Spaniard', or 'Swede', yet many aren't?

142 upvotes • PlaneCrab

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What are some Common Celtic words we use in English?

117 upvotes • redefinedmind

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what is the opposite of the "a-" (without) prefix?

114 upvotes • Kiwi_Pretzel

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Stoner NSFW

109 upvotes • ChrissyLives

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Is the G in the name Miguel simply the result of voicing?

103 upvotes • Independent-Egg-9614

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Why do some languages "decide" to use the letter K instead of C to represent the same sound?

84 upvotes • omnomdumplings

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Turns out that English 'Fort' and English 'Borough' may be (very) distantly-related.

61 upvotes • Ameisen

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Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Why does the word Caca/Kacke/Kaka (poop) show up in so many languages?	282	StepInSalad
Why do the words for baby animals keep becoming the common word for individuals of any age?	222	AdditionalThinking
How do we get 'will not' --> 'won't'?	153	PlatypusDream
Why are the residents of some countries referred to with a noun, such as 'Spaniard', or 'Swede', yet many aren't?	142	PlaneCrab
What are some Common Celtic words we use in English?	117	redefinedmind
what is the opposite of the "a-" (without) prefix?	114	Kiwi_Pretzel
Stoner NSFW	109	ChrissyLives
Is the G in the name Miguel simply the result of voicing?	103	Independent-Egg-9614
Why do some languages "decide" to use the letter K instead of C to represent the same sound?	84	omnomdumplings
Turns out that English 'Fort' and English 'Borough' may be (very) distantly-related.	61	Ameisen