22nd August 2016
Are you a quidnunc?
The word ‘quidnunc’ first appeared around the year 1710, in Irish writer and politician Sir Richard Steele’s journal The Tatler:
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8th July 2016
Pound is abbreviated ‘lb’ after the constellation Libra
The unit pound is abbreviated ‘lb’ which comes from the constellation Libra. The word libra means ‘balance scales’ in Latin. The ancient Romans used the term libra pondo to refer to weight. Libra meant ‘weight’ and pondo meant ‘pound’. This was eventually shortened to libra which came to be abbreviated as ‘lb’.
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2nd June 2016
What is the area between the eyebrows called?
The projecting area between the two eyebrows, which is just above the nose, is called the glabella. It is triangular in shape. The name is derived from the Latin word glabellus, which means smooth.
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18th May 2016
Why is 17 considered an unlucky number in Italy?
The number 17 can be written in Roman as XVII. When these numerals are rearranged, it reads VIXI, which means in Latin ‘I have lived’, meaning ‘my life is over’. The number 17 is therefore considered unlucky in Italy.
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14th April 2016
Ever wondered where the word ‘diamond’ comes from?
The diamond is the hardest substance known, and therefore unbreakable. The word ‘diamond’ is derived from adamas, a Greek word which means ‘unconquerable’. The word adamas was altered to the Latin and early French word diamant and to the English word ‘diamond’.
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18th March 2016
The interesting origin of the word ‘tripos’
Tripos is the final honours examination for a BA degree at Cambridge University. This word originates from the Latin word tripus, which means ‘tripod’. Tripus refers to the three-legged stool on which a graduate sat to deliver a satirical speech at the degree ceremony.
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