Hosted by Unknown Host · 🇺🇸 US · EN · 37 episodes
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Where do our modern English words come from? And what do their long histories tell us about our own ideas and the wider world? On Original Public Meaning, we unearth the ancient foundations of our language and consider how its vast, rich literature—fiction, essays, science, and more—can help us savor our words today.
Unknown Host hosts Original Public Meaning, a education show with 37 episodes published.
We're back after a brief hiatus with the word "exhaust," a word that has broad application in English—sometimes a verb, sometimes a noun. It's an opportunity to review the idea of a "perfect passive participle," a fundam
The word "dissolve" likely brings up an image of a chemist's solutions or a sugar cube breaking apart in water. But this word has applications in a wide range of areas: a dissolute person, the dissolving of Parliament, e
In English, the notion of "conscience" is often confused with "consciousness," words that share the same etymological roots in Latin. Generally, we might define "conscience" as that "little voice" in our head that tells
We normally think of ambition today as a kind of personal virtue, alongside traits like "grit" and "tenacity." But in the Roman world, ambitio—from which our English word "ambition" directly descends—was often viewed wit
The arts give us so many terms with interesting histories: arpeggio, pirouette, collage. Today, we turn to the technical terminology of architecture and consider the word "cornice," a word that comes to English from Ital
The word "symphony" has a straightforward origin: it comes directly from ancient Greek roots for "together" and "sound." But it offers an opportunity to explore the history of linguistic rules around word formation and t
A wobbly suspension bridge, a tightrope walker, a rocky precipice—there are many images that might unsettle those with a fear of heights (or acrophobia). Today we consider the last of these examples, "precipice." It come
The English noun "maxim" sounds like it should have something to do with a "greatest" or "biggest" or "maximal" thing. Instead, it means a general, even foundational rule. In today's episode, we look at the curious origi
Sometimes, English takes words directly from Latin: mea culpa, alma mater, et cetera. That's the case with today's word: dictator. Even if "dictator" has a rather simple etymology, it has a complex and fascinating politi
Today's world is full of "consultants" and "advisers" in the domains of business, politics, and even education. But the verb "consult" is an old one, coming directly into English from the Latin consulere. Its etymology,
When we think of "anarchy," we might imagine rioters in the streets. But the etymology of this word extends well beyond the world of politics. Today we explore the curious roots of "anarchy," which builds on a Greek term
When we feel "indifference" about two options before us, we refuse to make a distinction between them. It's a word that's often confused with "ambivalence"—but when we grasp the roots of these words, the distinction betw
Every day we forget things. Thankfully, we don't need to remember every face from our commute, every song on the radio. Today's word "oblivion" draws from this universal experience of forgetting, and its Latin ancestor o
We're back after a brief hiatus with the word "scrutinize," whose roots draw from the universal experience of dealing with garbage. Well before our modern era of landfills and recycling, the Romans separated their trash—
Our future goals—for our career, for our physical fitness, for anything—are our "aspirations." This word, which literally means "a breathing toward," has an murky connection with its dominant modern meaning of a "desire
The word "utopia" was invented in 1516 by Sir Thomas More for his book of the same name. But a utopia seems to draw from two separate Greek notions: a "non-existent place" and a "good place." In today's episode, we consi
When someone is a "patient," that person is, in one sense, weakened by an affliction but also, in another, powerfully enduring it. There's a paradox behind the idea of "patience," and in this episode we consider how this
In our previous episode, we considered how the Greek vocabulary for "feeling" developed into our contemporary language of "aesthetics." Today, we look at the similar terminology of "sensing" in Latin, which eventually ev
Ancient philosophical thought retains an enormous influence on our own contemporary worldview. Today's word—"aesthetic"—draws from that very tradition. We might think of "aesthetics" as a branch of philosophy concerned w
The Greeks and Romans have left behind so much: not just literature, but roads, vases, statues, and buildings. In today's episode, we use this "material culture" of the ancient world as an entry point for thinking about
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Original Public Meaning is hosted by Unknown Host. The show is categorised under Education (language) and has published 37 episodes.
Original Public Meaning has published 37 episodes.
Original Public Meaning regularly covers Education, Language, Learning, History. It sits in the Education category, with a language focus.
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