Etymoleon - Word History, the etymology podcast.

This podcast returns on May 10th 2026. A musician discovered Uranus, a Hollywood actress developed military technology, and a statesman invented bifocal glasses. Names such as Spencer, Marshall and Stewart trace their origins back to occupations. The son of Britain's first prime minister held a series of sinecures, roles that offered status and income for little or no work. 

Alongside these histories, this episode traces the origins of words such as dilettante, empleomania, gaffer, thrasonical, lucubrate and ambition. 

History Daily - https://www.historydaily.com 

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https://www.historytoday.com/archive/horace-walpole-gothick-man-letters/1000 

https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/know-the-ropes.html

To burke is to kill by strangulation, a word taken from the name of a 19th century murderer. In Anglo-Saxon England, a killing could be settled with payment through the wergild, a sum paid by the offender to the victim's family. In France, a petty criminal would go on to become one of the first figures to resemble a modern detective. 

Alongside these histories, this episode explores the origins of words such as assassin, scelerate, culprit, trucidate and lucre. 

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zvrsydm#zhxbcmn 

https://biomedical-sciences.ed.ac.uk/anatomy/anatomical-museum/collection/people/burke 

https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/eugene-francois-vidocq-and-the-birth-of-the-detective/ 

https://blog.oup.com/2015/08/word-etymology-culprit/ 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/stoke/content/articles/2006/04/11/local_heroes_doctor_william_palmer_feature.shtml

This episode investigates obscure words for conversations about bizarre histories, considering their origins and familiar words from the same root. Words explored include diluvial, nundination, expetible, tripudiate, mucilaginous, delitescent and redhibition. 

Hear a collection of strange moments from the past, from a deadly latrine collapse in Erfurt to a speculative frenzy over tulips, a mysterious dancing outbreak, and a city flooded with molasses. 

Sources:
https://www.historyextra.com/period/medieval/erfurt-latrine-disaster-what-happened/ 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/culture/article/20160419-tulip-mania-the-flowers-that-cost-more-than-houses 

https://www.britannica.com/event/dancing-plague-of-1518 

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/molasses-flood-physics-science/ 

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This podcast returns on April 12th 2026. This episode explores unusual words for conversations about chance, examining their origins and recognisable words from the same root. Words covered include incertitude, vicissitude, pari-mutuel, fortuity, aleatory and serendipity. 

Plus, hear how some public offices in ancient Greece were filled by lottery rather than election, reflecting a belief that randomness could serve as a safeguard against corruption. 

Sources: 
https://ccel.org/ccel/gibbon/decline/decline.viii.xli.html 

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/9105/9105-h/9105-h.htm 

https://blog.oup.com/2016/03/sortition-ancient-greece-democracy 

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This episode examines uncommon words for conversations about fixity, exploring their origins and familiar words from the same root. Words featured include intransigent, obdurate, adamantine, indelible, obstinate and irrevocable. 

Hear how a wartime survey of buildings at risk of bombing led to Britain's listed building system, granting certain structures legal protection designed to secure their permanence.  

Sources: 
https://grammarphobia.com/blog/2009/09/crying-over-spilled-milk.html 

https://utc.iath.virginia.edu/abolitn/abeswlgbt.html 

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/targets-of-enemy-bombers-and-our-own-demolition-men-1598384.html 

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/about-the-list/ 

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