Language slip-ups

Blame it on a typo! Look at these 13 words born from happy accidents

Image: Towfiqu barbhuiya

You probably don’t go around thinking about where words come from. But, as it turns out, some of our everyday vocabulary was never supposed to happen. From pronunciation blunders to translation mishaps, these words made it into the English language completely by accident. Grab your coffee, settle in, and enjoy these amusing little mix-ups that stuck around longer than anyone expected.

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Back in the 1600s, politician Sir Edwin Sandys wrote expedite instead of expediate in an essay. It was a mistake, but people liked the sound of it. Even after the error was spotted, the made-up version hung around. That’s one way to make a typo famous!

Image: Giovanna Gomes

In Middle English, "pease" was a mass noun, like "rice." But people assumed that "pease" must be plural, so they trimmed it down to create a new singular: "pea." It was a back-formation based on a misunderstanding… And yet, we’ve been using it ever since!

Image: Saúl Bucio

Back in the day, court clerks would jot down "cul. prit." to stand in for a mouthful of French legalese: Culpable, prest d’averrer nostre bille. Over time, people misread it as an actual word, and boom, "culprit" entered the English language with a similar meaning.

Image: Clem Onojeghuo

The French had a word, naperon, for a protective cloth. But English speakers often blurred the line between "a napron" and "an apron." Eventually, the "n" slid over and the new version stuck. See how even small slips reshape the language?

Image: Google DeepMind

The word "algorithm" can trace its roots to al-Khwarizmi, a 9th-century scholar. Latin scribes butchered his name into algorismus, and it subsequently morphed into "algorithm." Quite the journey for a name. Now it powers everything from apps to smart speakers.

Image: Toa Heftiba

In Old English, there was quease, meaning to press or crush. But somewhere along the way, someone added an extra "s," maybe to make it fit better with "squash" or "squish." And just like that, "squeeze" started sounding a lot more satisfying.

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The French phrase la munition was misheard by soldiers as l’amonition, and English speakers picked up that error like it was fact. The "a" shouldn’t have been there, but it stuck and gave us the word "ammunition" we use today.

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In French, nompere meant someone neutral, literally "not a peer." But in English, "a nompere" got twisted into "an umpire." And now it’s the name we give to the person brave enough to call strikes with parents in the bleachers. It changed the spelling and the meaning, brave indeed!

Image: Christian Harb

The French word chassé described a graceful dance step. But English speakers didn’t quite nail the pronunciation, and it turned into the fancier, flirtier "sashay." Sometimes a mispronunciation ends up sounding better than the original.

Image: Towfiqu barbhuiya

Originally spelled "fneze," this word changed when people mistook the "f" for an old-style "s." One printing error later, and "sneeze" became the standard. Honestly, it does a better job of capturing the sound, don’t you think?

Image: Andrej Sachov

French speakers said lingot, but when it crossed into English, scribes dropped the "L," thinking it stood for an article like "le" or "la." Oops! What they left behind became "ingot," a word now used to describe solid bars of metal.

Image: NOAA

This windy word started out as tronada, Spanish for thunderstorm. English speakers twisted the syllables around and made "tornado." It doesn’t match the original, but hey, it feels like it belongs, right?

Image: Jon Tyson

Back in the day, people used the term ekename to mean "additional name." Say "an ekename" too quickly, and it morphs into "a nickname." Just another case of sounds slipping around and creating something brand new.

How about Ezra?

Time for a comeback: 12 great names that nobody uses anymore

Image: Nattalia Nuñez

As with many other things in life, baby names follow trends. In certain decades, thousands of Michaels seem to appear from everywhere, only to be overshadowed by legions of James in the next. For this very reason, we don’t hear of many babies named Herbert, or Edna anymore. So, if you are in the market for a baby name, maybe you can pick one that is not being over-used these days. Here are 12 suggestions for you!

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As George Carlin once said, strong names create strong men. So, why not give your boy a good old-fashioned serious name, like Clifford? This name of English and Germanic origin was once a last name meaning "ford by the cliff."

Image: Jeremiah Lawrence

Once a popular name in the past century, Mildred seems to have fallen out of favor in recent decades and it is currently hard to find anybody named Mildred who doesn’t have grey hair. This Anglo-Saxon name is composed of mild ("mild") and þryð ("power), meaning "gentle strength."

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A name that evokes a time gone by, Longfellow is a poetic name that was in demand back in the early 20th century. The name of English origin means, to no one’s surprise, "tall one."

Image: Jonathan Borba

If the last person named Ethel you remember is Ethel Merman, you are not alone. This aristocratic name means "Noble," and it has been sitting on the bleachers for far too long. Ethel is the short form of Etheldreda and was first used as an independent name in the 1840s.

Image: Humphrey Muleba

A name that was popular in the mid-20th century, Laverne has two different meanings. And one of them is much more flattering than the other, at least for most. According to Roman mythology, Laverna was the goddess of thieves, which doesn’t sound all that great. But the French origin for this name means "springlike." Much more agreeable.

Image: Jamie Coupaud

This name has been used until not so long ago but it has lost some of its popularity in recent years. This boy’s name has Latin origins and it means "bright." Not a bad omen for a baby!

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A popular name when The Flintstones cartoon was originally airing, due to the leading character Wilma Flintstone, this name of German origin is a short version of Wilhelmina, meaning "will helmet."

Image: Juan Encalada

Bessie was originally a nickname for Elizabeth but it became a name in its own right quite some time ago. And, while it was a popular name back in the day, it has since fallen out of use.

Image: Kelly Romano

A serious name, indeed, Jethro is rarely heard these days. It has a biblical meaning in Hebrew scripture, where Jethro was an illustrious figure, renowned for his wisdom and leadership.

Image: Jimmy Conover

A strong name for a strong girl, Gertrude is derived from Germanic roots meaning "spear" and "strength." And, if the name sounds too serious, Gertrudes can also go by the shorter nickname, Trudy.

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It may sound like a granny name but no one can deny that it has a lot of character and personality. And, besides, its German roots add a deeper meaning to it, since it translates to "the bright one."

Image: Luke Michael

Yes, it may sound like an antiquated name. Yes, the only known reference to it is the Warner Brothers cartoon, Elmer Fudd. But, still, it is a great name and no one is using it. This name of British origin means "noble" and "famous."