Everyone Gets These Word Origins Wrong | Otherwords

Support PBS: https://to.pbs.org/DonateOtherwords Sometimes misunderstandings and made-up origins get popular enough to stick around... we call these "folk etymologies"! Otherwords is a PBS web series on Storied that digs deep into this quintessential human trait of language and finds the fascinating, thought-provoking, and funny stories behind the words and sounds we take for granted. Incorporating the fields of biology, history, cultural studies, literature, and more, linguistics has something for everyone and offers a unique perspective on what it means to be human. Host: Erica Brozovsky, Ph.D. Creator/Director: Andrew Matthews & Katie Graham Writer: Taylor Behnke Producer: Katie Graham Editor/Animation: Andrew Matthews Executive Producer: Amanda Fox Fact Checker: Yvonne McGreevy Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing Assistant Director of Programming for PBS: John Campbell Stock Images from Shutterstock Music from APM Music Otherwords is a production of Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios. © 2025 PBS. All rights reserved. sources: Rundblad, G., & Kronenfeld, D. B. (2003). The inevitability of folk etymology: a case of collective reality and invisible hands. Journal of Pragmatics, 35(1), 119-138. https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-fol... https://itotd.com/articles/6519/folk-... https://www.merriam-webster.com/gramm... https://www.universityofcalifornia.ed... https://www.cjr.org/language_corner/k... https://www.etymonline.com/word/tip https://www.snopes.com/news/2024/07/2...