chutzpah

Why is someone with shameless audacity said to have chutzpah?

Balls, cheek, nerve, brass — all synonyms for this wonderfully phlegmy Yiddish word defined by lexicographer Leo Rosten as "that quality enshrined in a man who, having killed his mother and father, throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is an orphan." With etymological roots going as far back as the Aramaic ḥu ṣpā evolving into the Hebrew verb khátsap “to be insolent,” we are gifted with this decidedly Jewish term whose phonetic quality itself exudes well-warranted disgust.

Varient spellings: chutzpa, hutzpah, hutzpa

Etymological journey: ḥu ṣpā (Aramaic) → khátsap, hutspah (Heb.) → khutspe (Yiddish)

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asteroid

Also sometimes referred to as minor planets, asteroids get their name from the Greek word asteroeidēs, "starlike" (astēr, "star" + eidos, "form").

Literally: "starlike"

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asterisk ( * )

Why is the small star used by writers and editors called an asterisk?

Asterisk ( * ) comes from the Greek word asteriskos, "small star," the diminutive form of astēr, "star."

Literally: "little star"

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ambush

From Old French embuscher, "to hide in the woods."

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alligator

Why is the large, familiar semiaquatic reptile called an alligator?

The name of this large saurian has a long history. Originating from the Roman word for lizard, lacertus—literally meaning "forearm" (the largest lizard the Romans ever encountered was about the size of a human forearm; hence, lacertus)—the word was eventually adopted and assimilated into Spanish as legarto. When the Spaniards sailed to the New World and encountered the large reptilian beast we know as today's alligator, they called it el lagarto ("the lizard"), adding the definite article "el" before the noun.

Anglo-speaking colonists misinterpreted el lagarto as a single word, ellagarto, which over time became English alligator.

Etymological journey: lacertus (L.) → lagarto (Sp.) → ellagarto (E. misint.) → alligator (E.)

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April

Where did the name of our fourth month come from?

April comes from the Latin word aperia, meaning "open," for it is the time of year when flowers start to bloom and buds begin to open.

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yoga

In Hinduism, yoga is much more than a trendy stretching and strengthening routine. It serves as a holistic spiritual practice for believers, for whom the end goal is attaining "union with the Supreme Spirit." It makes sense, then, that yoga means "union" in Sanskrit (the ancient language of India).

Literally: "union"

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mah jongg

From where did the Chinese tile game mah jongg get its name?

Mah jongg comes from the Chinese dialect word májiàng, "sparrows," supposedly so-called for the game's sparrow-printed tile.

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aardvark

The name of the burrowing African mammal is a direct borrowing from Afrikaans (a language closely related to Dutch, which was brought to South Africa by colonialists). Aardvark is a compound that directly translates into "earth pig" (Dutch aarde = "earth"; vark = "pig")

Literally: "earth pig"

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anorexia nervosa

The word anorexia is actually a general term denoting a loss or lack of appetite (from Greek an "without" + orexis "appetite").

Anorexia nervosa, then, is more specific: "A condition marked by emaciation, etc., in which loss of appetite results from severe emotional disturbance."

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