What's the origin of Et tu brute? A Latin phrase, Et tu Brute? translates into English as “And you, Brutus?” or “Even you, Brutus?” You may also see the sentence translated as “Also you, Brutus?” or “You too, Brutus?” It
Beware of exceptions There is one exception to using the word than, which stems from its Old English and West Germanic roots. Nearly 417 years ago, it was common to use than in place of “when” “when as,” or even
How are i.e. and e.g. similar? The terms i.e. and e.g. are Latin abbreviations used to clarify concepts within sentences while saving breadth for readers. After all, Shakespeare once wrote, "since brevity is the soul of wit... I will be
How is “Tis the Season” typically used? Let’s start by identifying the season to which this expression refers. Did you catch the clue in the introduction above? The season in this popular phrase is the time period known as the
What Does ‘Curiosity Killed The Cat’ Mean? Everyone has heard the phrase ‘curiosity killed the cat’ - but what does it mean? What is the significance of this particular phrase? Let’s take a look. This commonly used phrase requires an
Empty Barrel: What Does It Actually Mean? You’ve probably heard a baby-boomer or an exasperated elderly person say the phrase, “Empty vessels make more noise.” The iconic phrase is ancient: It traces its origin back to Plato, the father of
The Definition of the Word Center is both a noun and a verb. Center Noun According to the Lexico.com, the word center means a point that’s located an equal distance from every point on the circumference of a circle or
What Does Development Mean? According to Dictionary.com, the definition of development is: Development [dih-vel-uhp-muhnt] noun ● the act or process of developing; growth; progress: child development; economic development. ● a significant consequence or event: recent developments
Direct Plagiarism When most people think about "stealing" someone else's work, this is what they imagine. Direct plagiarism might involve copying someone else's text word-for-word without quotation marks. Even if you include a citation, you must be sure to also
What is the difference between a simile and a metaphor? Metaphors and similes are figures of speech that are found throughout the everyday language, whether it's in poetry, essays, cultural truisms, advertising, or song lyrics. You might even use them
What is the difference between theatre vs. theater? If you’re watching a film, do you go to the movie theatre or movie theater? Do the words theatre and theater have different meanings for live performances? Understanding why the two terms
What is the difference between jealousy vs envy? Jealousy and envy are negative emotions that people feel in response to desire, power, and a lack of self-confidence. But when it comes to describing our feelings on paper, how do we
What Does Beauty Is in the Eye of the Beholder Mean? Although this phrase is considered an idiom, and typically idioms have figurative meanings that are difficult to figure out just by looking at the words that comprise them, we
What Does Brevity Is the Soul of Wit Mean? This expression can be used in two different ways. To uncover its meanings, let’s first look to the definitions of the words brevity, soul, and wit. Brevity means short in duration.
What Does Alas Poor Yorick Mean? When used alone, the phrase Alas, poor Yorick has come to serve as a commentary on the fleeting nature of life. Perhaps you may hear it said at a funeral, when a person, thinking
What Does Mortal Coil Mean? As you’ll discover in a moment, the expression mortal coil comes from perhaps the most famous soliloquy (a monologue spoken to oneself) in all of Shakespeare’s plays. Every word and phrase in this soliloquy has
Why Do We Credit Shakespeare? The Guardian quotes Shakespeare lecturer Dr. David McInnis: "The OED [Oxford English Dictionary], which saw its original volumes published between 1884 and 1928, includes more than 33,000 Shakespeare quotations...with around 1,500 of those 'the first
What Does End All Be All Mean? Put simply, the idiom end all be all describes something of the utmost importance—a person or thing that is absolutely essential and seen as the best. In fact, whatever is said to be
What Does No Quarter Mean? In everyday conversation, the idiom no quarter means “no mercy.” Typically the phrase is preceded by a form of the verb give; you may also hear the expression used with some form of the verb
What Does All That Glitters Is Not Gold Mean? Gold has long been associated with and symbolized wealth and success. After all, it has been used throughout the world as currency and for art and ornamentation; Olympians and other competitors
What Are Shakespearean Sonnets About? Shakespeare's sonnets covered romantic subjects. Under that umbrella, Shakespeare tackled a huge range of nuanced topics. The British Library notes, "...Their main concern is ‘love’, but they also reflect upon time, change, aging, lust, absence,
What Does Cry Havoc and Let Slip the Dogs of War Mean? There are several ways to interpret the meaning of the phrase cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war as intended by Shakespeare centuries ago, which we’ll
Do You Recommend the Book? Over the course of your 500-word article, you should answer the main question on the reader's mind: did you like the book or not? In many review formats, the reviewer gives the book a star
What Does Leaps and Bounds Mean? The phrase leaps and bounds is used to describe growth, expansion, and progress. If something grows by leaps and bounds, it does so quickly and to a large degree or great extent. Leaps and
What Is the Definition of the Word Sheep? As phrased by the Merriam Webster dictionary sheep is defined as: Any of various hollow-horned typically gregarious ruminant mammals (genus Ovis) related to the goats but stockier and lacking a beard in
The Plural of Christmas: Here’s What It Is and How to Use It If you have ever needed to use the plural form of Christmas and wondered what it is, you have come to the right place. This article will
How Do you Spell Passerbys? The first step in ever understanding a word or its grammatical rules is to establish its definition. To learn it properly, you must first learn what it means. According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, the
What Is the Definition of the Word Breed? The word breed is defined as: Intransitive verb to produce offspring by sexual union places where mosquitoes breedCopulate, mateto propagate animals or plants Transitive verb to produce (offspring) by hatching or gestationyet every
What Is the Definition of the Word Adjective? Noun “Any member of a class of words that modify nouns and pronouns, primarily by describing a particular quality of the word they are modifying, as wise in a wise grandmother, or
What Is the Definition of the Word Widow? Noun a woman who has a deceased husband and has not obtained a new husband through remarriage.Cards. an additional hand or part of a hand, as one dealt to the table.Printing.a short
Etymology The Proto-Indo-European root spek- developed into the Latin word despectus, the Online Etymology Dictionary explains. Despectus, meaning "a looking down on, scorn, contempt," evolved into the Old French despit, "scorn, contempt." By 1300, English speakers had adopted the noun
Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary (OED), the word "center" originates from the Proto-Indo-European root kent-, meaning "to prick." That evolved into kentron, Greek for "sharp point, goad, sting of a wasp." With the popularization of the drafting compass,
What Does How Now Brown Cow Mean? This post will read a little differently than other Common Phrases blogs here at The Word Counter, because the expression is actually a nonsense phrase without any real meaning. That’s right, it doesn’t
Improve Your Writing Skills With Structure, Rhythm, and Rhyme Many classical forms of poetry employ set meter and rhyme schemes. By attempting to write within the guidelines of these forms, you'll develop your ability to manipulate language. As an exercise,
What Does My Kingdom for a Horse Mean? First off, it’s important to know that when you see or hear this phrase used today, it doesn’t actually have anything to do with kingdoms or horses. When you encounter this saying,
What is the difference between spelt and spelled ? The words spelt and spelled are past participles of the verb spell, so English speakers use either term for the past tense. The primary difference between the two words involves definition,
What Does Still Waters Run Deep Mean? As you likely guessed from the introduction, the phrase still waters run deep is used to say that people with shy, reserved dispositions are often very profound, passionate, and intelligent underneath their calm,
Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word "travel" probably comes from the vulgar Latin word tripaliare, "to torture." That tells you how much people enjoyed journeys back in those days! By the 12th century, Old French adopted the
What does heart of gold mean? Heart of gold is an idiomatic expression that means to have a kind, generous disposition, according to Merriam-Webster. If someone is a kind-hearted, generous person, they could be said to have a heart of
What Does Discretion Is the Better Part of Valor Mean? To understand the meaning of this saying, it’s vital to know the definitions of the words discretion and valor. In this case, these terms mean: Discretion (noun): showing good or
What does padoru mean? WordHippo states that the word padoru (パドル) is of Japanese origin, and means paddle. This is an onomatopoeic word that refers to the paddling sound that a paddle makes splashing in the water. Know Your Meme
What is the meaning of the phrase pray tell? Pray tell is an idiomatic expression usually used for emphasis, or to demand an answer from someone, according to Merriam-Webster. Archaically, the phrase was used genuinely, to ask someone to explain
What does thus far mean? According to Collins English Dictionary, thus far is a phrasal adverb that means up until now, in a situation or story. This phrase is similar to the phrases “so far,” and “up until now,” and
What does the phrase good riddance mean? According to Dictionary, The Free Dictionary, Cambridge Dictionary, and Merriam-Webster English Dictionary amongst other English language dictionary apps, the phrase “good riddance” is considered an interjection or idiom that is used to say
What does per say mean? While many may believe the phrase is “per say,” which one would think only hearing it, the Latin phrase that is common in the English language is actually spelled “per se.” According to the unabridged
What is the definition of SFS? According to Dictionary and The Sun, there are multiple different meanings for SFS. This piece of internet slang is commonly used on TikTok, Snapchat, and other social media platforms. This slang term can either
What does the acronym YW stand for? According to Dictionary, Urban Dictionary, and 7 E S L, the abbreviation YW most commonly stands for “you’re welcome.” In the English Language, the phrase you’re welcome is a common response to an
What is the difference between mold and mould? You know the dark, filmy material that grows in damp spaces? That, my friend, is called mold. But if you live in England or Australia, there’s a good chance it’s spelled mould
What does the abbreviation ASF stand for? According to Dictionary and Urban Dictionary, the abbreviation ASF stands for “as f*ck” and is used to add emphasis, similar to the phrase “extremely so.” This can also be abbreviated as AF or
What Is a Double Entendre? The term double entendre is a noun, specifically a compound noun. Merriam Webster defines double entendre in two ways, depending on the context. In a literary context, it means, "ambiguity of meaning arising from language
What is Rising Action? The rising action covers everything that happens between the inciting incident and the eventual climax of the story. In fact, the easiest way to find the rising action is by locating those two dramatic bookends. The
What does the word brevity mean? According to Vocabulary and Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, the word brevity is a noun (pronunciation of brevity: ) that refers to the shortness of duration or something. This is often used
Basically, any work of art with a plot and a conflict has a big idea at the heart of the action. When you figure out what the creator is trying to say about the way the world works, you've probably
What does the word contemporary mean? According to Collins English Dictionary and the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, the word contemporary is an adjective that describes something that is modern or related to the present time. The noun
What does the word thee mean? According to Dictionary and the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, the word thee (pron.) is a second person singular object pronoun, equivalent to the modern English second person you. It is used
What does the word divine mean? According to Merriam-Webster, Collins English Dictionary and the American Heritage Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, the word divine is an adjective that means relating to a God or deity, or supremely good or
What does is the meaning of the phrase beyond the pale? According to Your Dictionary, the term beyond the pale is an idiom that describes behavior that is outside the bounds of morality, good behaviour or judgment. A pale is
What does the acronym NGL stand for? According to How to Geek and Investopedia, NGL can either stand for natural gas liquids or not gonna lie. Natural gas liquids are components of natural gas that are able to be separated
What does the word adversity mean? According to the American Heritage Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language as well as Collins English Dictionary, the word adversity is a noun in the rules of English grammar that means misfortune, hardship, distress
What does the term god speed mean? The term god speed is a common misspelling of the term godspeed or Godspeed. According to Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary as well as other dictionaries like the American Heritage Unabridged Dictionary of the English
What does the word farce mean? According to the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language as well as other sources like American Heritage and Collins English Dictionary, the word farce can either be used as a verb or a
What does the word sans mean? According to Collins English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster, the word sans is a preposition that means without or lacking something. This word can also be used as an abbreviation for Sanskrit. There are many different
What does the word valar morghulis mean? According to Merriam-Webster, the term valar morghulis is from the television-series Game of Thrones. This is a High Valyrian language saying originating from the city of Braavos, a city located on the northwestern
What does the word thou mean? According to Merriam-Webster, Collins English Dictionary of the English Language and American Heritage, the word thou is an archaic possessive pronoun that means you. This is similar to thee, thine, thy, ye, and you.
What does the word seldom mean? According to Collins English Dictionary and the American Heritage Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, the word seldom is an adverb that means infrequent or unusually. The word seldom is two syllables - sel-dom,
What does the word pandering mean? According to Collins English Dictionary, the word pandering is the present participle form of the verb pander. The verb pander - along with its variants panders and pandered formed by the suffixes s and
What is the difference between truely and truly? “Truely” is a common misspelling of “truly,” the adverbial form of true (an adjective). Writers often confuse the two spellings because “true” ends with the word -e-. While several adjectives retain their
What is irony? According to Your Dictionary, there are three different main types of irony. First there is dramatic irony, which is used in literature and film when the audience knows more about what's going on than the characters. It
What is the infinitive form? According to Walden, there are many different tenses of verbs in English. Some of these are a simple form of the verb, while some are more complex. Some of these can be used in the
What are comparatives? According to Your Dictionary, comparatives or comparative adjectives are words that describe something by comparing it to something else. For many people, it is easier to describe something in comparison to another item for which someone already
What is a demonstrative adjective? According to Your Dictionary, the demonstrative adjectives are this, that, these, and those. They indicate which noun or pronoun you are referring to in a sentence, if it is singular or plural, and where it
What is anaphora? According to Your Dictionary, anaphora has two meanings. In grammar, anaphora is the use of a pronoun or similar word to refer back to an earlier word or phrase. The original noun is known as the antecedent.
What is a demonstrative adjective? According to Your Dictionary, the demonstrative adjectives are this, that, these, and those - less commonly, you may see yon and yonder. These indicate which noun or pronoun you are referring to in a sentence,
What is an absolute possessive pronoun? According to Grammarly, absolute possessive pronouns show that something belongs to someone. The list of personal pronouns show ownership and are my, our, your, his, her, its, their, mine, ours, yours, his, hers, its,
What is connotation? According to Your Dictionary, connotation is not a word’s literal meaning, but the emotions and feelings a word evokes, or the implied meaning of the word. Denotation refers to a word’s literal meaning. Things can have a
What is consonance? According to Your Dictionary, consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in poetry and prose to create rhyme, rhythm or mood. Similar to alliteration and assonance which utilizes the repetition of vowel sounds, this literary device is
What is assonance? According to Your Dictionary, assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in poetry and prose to create rhyme, rhythm or mood. Similar to alliteration and consonance, the repetition of a consonant sound, this literary device is used
What is an archaism? According to Literary Devices, the word archaism refers to a figure of speech in which a used phrase or word is considered very old fashioned and outdated. An archaism can be either a word, a phrase,
What is figurative language? According to Collins English Dictionary, figurative language refers to ways in which writers can add color to their writing by using something that doesn't exist to enhance description. These figures of speech do not use the
What are neologisms? According to Merriam-Webster, neologisms are new words, usage, or expressions that have been introduced into a language by popular use. This word is also used in psychology and psychiatry to refer to a new word that is
What is personification? According to Collins English Dictionary, personification refers to describing a non-human thing with humanlike qualities. This attribution of human characteristics or human qualities to things, abstract ideas, or animals is used for literary or artistic effect. This
What is an epiphora? According to Thought Co, epiphora, which is also known as epistrophe, refers to the repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses, in contrast with anaphora. The combination of anaphora and epiphora
What is an interrogative pronoun? According to Word Sense, there are many different types of pronouns with different functions: determinative pronoun substantive pronoun demonstrative pronoun relative pronoun prepositional pronoun pronoun demonstrative gender-neutral pronoun personal subject pronouns interrogative pronoun object pronoun reciprocal pronoun epicene pronoun resumptive pronoun emphasizing pronoun reflexive possessive pronoun subject pronoun substantival pronoun intensive pronoun reflexive
What is a semicolon? According to Your Dictionary, the semicolon is a punctuation mark like a comma, full stop, quotation marks, and more that are used to create a pause between clauses. Semicolons are used to join two independent clauses,
What is logos grammar? According to Your Dictionary, logos is a type of rhetorical appeal. These are also called Aristotle's "modes for persuasion" and include pathos and ethos. They are often used in speech writing and advertising to persuade others
What is the infinitive form? According to Walden, there are many different forms of verbs in the English language, from a simple form of the verb to complex: Imperative tense Present perfect progressive/continuous tense Conditional perfect tense Conditional progressive tense Past progressive/continuous tense Simple future
What is satire? According to Your Dictionary, there are many different types of satire including Horatian satire, Menippean satire, Juvenalian satire, political satire, and more. All forms of satire and satirists use comedy, parody, humor, sarcasm, and absurdity to ridicule
What is a colon? According to Your Dictionary, the colon is a punctuation mark like a comma, semicolon, dashes, hyphens, quotation marks, parentheses, apostrophes, the single space, question marks, brackets, a full stop, and more. It looks like two bullet
What is an antecedent? According to Your Dictionary, an antecedent is an earlier clause, phrase, or word to which a pronoun, noun, or another word refers. When using a relative pronoun to replace an antecedent, make sure that your noun
What are parentheses? According to Grammar Monster, we often think of parentheses as a type of punctuation mark, like commas, a question mark, where you might use brackets, a dash, and exclamation point, a colon, exclamation marks, a semicolon, an
What is emotive language? According to Assignment Help Pro, emotive language refers to emotive words used in different forms of writing that connote positive emotions or negative emotions aside from the words’ literal meanings. A non-emotive version of a document
What is oxymoron? According to Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, and the American Heritage Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, an oxymoron is a grammatical device that combines two opposite qualities when describing a phrase. This phrase makes use of an
What is a colloquialism? According to Collins English Dictionary, a colloquialism is a word or phrase that is appropriate to conversation and other informal situations, such as a slang term in everyday speech. This does not have the characteristic of
What are superlatives? According to Your Dictionary, in English grammar superlatives, or superlative adjectives/comparative adjectives, are used to compare one noun to another noun, or to compare three or more nouns. We often think of these as “er” and “est”
What is apostrophe? According to Ginger and Literary Devices, the word apostrophe is both a punctuation mark and a rhetorical or literary device. As a punctuation mark, an apostrophe has many uses. Remember that in most cases, plurals do not
What is a tautology? According to Your Dictionary, tautology is an expression or phrase that says the same thing twice but in a different words. The types of tautology are verbal tautology and logical tautology. These are similar to an
What is euphemism? According to Your Dictionary, a euphemism is a polite expression used in place of words or phrases that might otherwise be considered harsh, offensive or unpleasant. If it has a negative connotation, it is called a dysphemism.
What is a figure of speech? According to Your Dictionary, a figure of speech is a type of figurative language that has a different meaning than its literal definition. These figures of speech do not use the literal meaning of
What is a non-finite verb? According to Grammar Monster, non-finite verbs include gerunds or a gerund phrase, infinitives, and participles. Gerunds end in ing and are are nouns formed from verbs. Infinitives are the basic dictionary form of a verb
What is a metaphor? According to Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, and the American Heritage Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, the definition of metaphor is a figure of speech in which a phrase or word is used to describe an
What is a double negative? According to Your Dictionary, a double negative is when someone uses two negative words in the same sentence. Like in math, two negatives turn the thought or sentence into a positive or affirmative meaning. However,
What is a metonym? According to Your Dictionary and the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, a metonym, or metonymy, is the use of a linked term to stand in for an object or concept. This change of name
What is a paradox? According to Your Dictionary, a paradox is a contradiction or self-contradictory statement. Paradoxes are used in George Orwell's Animal Farm novel, "Holy Sonnet 11" by John Donne, William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Pirates of Penzance, Catch-22 by Joseph
What is analogy grammar? According to Grammar Monster, an analogy is a figure of speech that compares things. This could take the form of a simile, metaphor, allegory, or even just a word analogy in which colons are used. The
What is a zeugma? According to Literary Devices, zeugma is a figure of speech in which a word, usually a verb or an adjective, applies to more than one noun. This blends ideas logically and grammatically and comes from the
What is an anastrophe? According to Your Dictionary, anastrophe is a type of syntax used in prose and poetry in which the sentence inverts the subject-verb-object order. In Ancient Greek, anastrophē, from the Greek verb anastrephein(ana-strephein), means turning around. This
What is alliteration? According to Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, and the American Heritage Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, alliteration is a grammatical device that refers to several words close together which all begin with the same letter or sound,
What is a rhetorical question? According to Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, and the American Heritage Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, a rhetorical question is a question to which no answer is required. In the 1580s, English printer Henry Denham
What Does Novel Mean? You've likely come across the word novel, but what exactly does it mean? According to Britannica.com, a novel can be defined as a fictitious prose narrative of considerable length (aka a hefty word count) with a
The term godspeed is one of the most historically exciting words in the English language. It has a long legacy as a greeting, an interjection, a tolken of good cheer, and even a religious phrase. In the modern world, godspeed
What Does INFP Mean? INFP is one of the 16 personality types created by Katharine Briggs and Isabel Myers, creators of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). INFP stands for introversion, intuition, feeling, and perception, which are four core personality traits
Suppose you've ever had a conversation with someone passionate about a series of movies, a group of literary works, or a fictional universe of any kind. In that case, you will have likely heard the word canon. It's one of
The word irony is commonly heard in English classes when discussing works of fiction. What does this word mean, and how can this word be used? This article covers the meaning of irony, its etymology, translations, synonyms, and antonyms. Keep
When trying to figure out a word’s meaning, it can be helpful to review a number of definitions from more than one reputable source. Today, we will be exploring the English term dichotomy, so we went ahead and compiled a
What is the meaning of the word connotative, and how is a word’s connotation different from its denotation? This article will cover the meaning of the word connotative, example sentences that contain the word connotative, translations, and synonyms and antonyms.
The term pardon can be defined as the action of forgiving or being forgiven for an error or offense — but did you know that it has another definition? Read on as we explore the word pardon to uncover its
Have you ever been called a cunt? This is an extremely offensive term that is considered one of the meanest things you can call someone. This article will detail the meaning and usage of the word c*nt, translations of c*nt,
From the news and social media to morning conversations with your next-door neighbor, words are everywhere. They are the strongest form of communication we have. Simply put, words are important. That said, seeing as there are well over half-a-million words
Helter Skelter: It’s a popular Beatles song from 1968 that many say was the predecessor of the heavy metal of the seventies. It was a song written to try and outdo the song “I Can See For Miles” by rival
Did you know that you are the protagonist of the story of your life? Yup, it's true — everyone else is simply a side character. That said, what exactly does the word protagonist mean? Where did it come from? And
If you’re a fan of Shaskphere or historical fiction, you’ve likely come across the word thy before, but what exactly does it mean? Is this strange three-letter word a typo? Although “thy” may seem odd, it is an Old English
Have you ever heard of the word trope? Maybe you’ve heard it in conversations or articles about popular media or literature. It’s a handy word when it comes to talking about art and the themes it contains. If you study
There are a ton of words in the American English language — more than 600,000, to be exact. While you likely know a large number of them, chances are there are some words that you don’t know (yet). Take the
We hear new words every day, but sometimes the meanings or definitions can be easily lost or misunderstood. Learning about new words is a great way to improve your every day speech. Today, your word of the day is simile.
Learning a new word to add to your vocabulary is an amazing tool. It can liven up your language and spice up your writing. Not to mention, it helps to grow your mind and can make you a better person.
Just because you hear a word often doesn't mean you know its definition. If you've heard the word oxymoron, chances are you have an idea of its meaning, given the context. However, do you know its history, origin, and how
Today we'll learn about the art of contrasting ideas; antithesis is a popular word used when describing opposites; it's a commonly used literary device in the English language. If you're itching to learn more about antithesis, keep reading. We have
Have you ever heard someone say that one thing is like another, and you're not sure what they mean? They might be using an analogy. An exciting part of language, an analogy is a way to draw comparisons between two
In American English, the definition of act (ækt, akt) refers to a motion or activity. It can be used as a verb or a noun, meaning that it can be used in sentences such as: "She acts meekly around her