BORN IN FICTION

10 Words You Didn’t Know Have Literary Origins

Image: Glen Noble

Even now, when reading seems to be on the decline compared to the past, literature still plays an important role in how we construct our everyday language. From Shakespearean soliloquies to modern sci-fi jargon, literature has gifted us with a plethora of words that now pepper our conversations.

Let's explore 10 captivating examples of words that originated in fiction and literature, illuminating the enduring power of narrative to change the world.

Image: Michael Dziedzic

Coined by 18th-century English writer and art historian Horace Walpole in a letter to a friend, this word refers to a fortunate discovery made by accident. After making an unexpected discovery about a lost artwork, he referenced an ancient Persian tale called The Three Princes of Serendip, where its three protagonists would be - Walpole told his correspondent - "always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of."

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Inspired by Miguel de Cervantes' iconic novel Don Quixote, this term describes someone who is extravagantly idealistic and impractical. It stems from the chivalrous but delusional character Don Quixote, who often embarked on fanciful quests in pursuit of romanticized ideals but losing sight of reality on the way, to the point of confusing ordinary windmills with the mythical giants of old tales.

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Joseph Heller popularized this phrase in his satirical novel of the same name, depicting a paradoxical situation in which escape is impossible because of contradictory rules. Set in World War II, from the perspective of a U.S. Air Force Captain, the novel explores the absurdity of war and bureaucratic logic through the protagonist's futile attempts to evade combat duty and the unreasonable demands of his superiors.

Image: Markus Spiske

George Orwell’s dystopian masterpiece 1984 left an enduring legacy in the form of a rich vocabulary related to censorship and control. Some terms like "Big Brother," "Doublethink," or "Thought Police" are still popular in everyday speech. In the novel, these words form part of "Newspeak," a controlled language used by the totalitarian regime of Oceania in order to restrict freedom of thought and manipulate public perception.

Image: Markus Spiske

Coined by William Gibson in his groundbreaking science fiction novel Neuromancer, cyberspace refers to the virtual reality of computer networks. Gibson's pioneering work anticipated the internet age and our modern dependence on technology, helping shape our contemporary understanding of digital landscapes and connectivity.

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Thanks to Charles Dickens's timeless classic A Christmas Carol, the name Scrooge has become synonymous with selfishness and greed. Unfortunately for Ebenezer Scrooge, the protagonist of the short novel, despite undergoing a transformative journey of redemption in the story, we mostly remember him by his worst side.

Image: Dmitry Ratushny

Although the word has a disputed etymology, the popularity of the word "nerd" likely owes to its usage in Dr. Seuss' If I Ran the Zoo where it referred to an imaginary creature. However, the term underwent a transformation in meaning over the years. It eventually evolved into a derogatory term for bookish people with a noticeable lack of social skills. Nowadays, though, it has lost its negative connotations and it is used to describe someone passionate or knowledgeable about niche interests in the realm of science and technology.

Image: Phillip Glickman

Coined by Czech playwright Karel Čapek in his play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots), the term robot is derived from the Czech word "robota," meaning forced labor. Surprisingly - taking into account that it was written in the 1920s - Čapek's visionary play explores themes of artificial intelligence, automation, and the ethical implications of creating sentient beings.

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Initially an abbreviation of "between" dating back to the year 1300, the term "tween" took on a new meaning in the late 20th century. Influenced by the word "teen," it emerged as a noun referring to a child nearing puberty, typically between the ages of 9 and 12. However, an alternative usage was popularized by J.R.R. Tolkien, who employed the term in The Lord of the Rings, to describe the "irresponsible twenties between [Hobbit] childhood and coming of age at thirty-three."

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Coined by Sir Thomas More in the 16th century, in his influential work Utopia, this term describes an idealized, imaginary society characterized by harmony, equality, and prosperity. More's vision of a perfect civilization has sparked countless literary and philosophical explorations into the possibilities and pitfalls of utopian ideals. The opposite concept would be a "dystopia."

Language check

You're saying it wrong! 10 words most people mispronounce

Image: Kenny Eliason

English is full of words that don’t sound the way they look. Some borrow foreign pronunciations, while others have silent letters or unexpected stresses. These tricky words can trip up even native speakers and language experts. From colonel to victuals, here are 10 common words that most people mispronounce.

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Correct pronunciation: KUR-nuhl

Despite the absence of an "r" in its spelling, colonel is pronounced KUR-nuhl. This is because the word comes from the French coronel. While English eventually adopted the Italian spelling, it retained the French pronunciation.

Image: Kelly Sikkema

Correct pronunciation: WENZ-day

In American English, the middle d in Wednesday is silent, making it WENZ-day. The word comes from Old English Wodnesdæg, meaning "Woden’s day," a reference to the Norse god Odin. As the word evolved into Modern English, its pronunciation and spelling drifted apart.

Image: Max Nayman

Correct pronunciation: NYAW-kee

This Italian pasta name isn’t pronounced GAH-noh-chee but NYAW-kee. In Italian, the gn sound is similar to the ñ in Spanish, while the ch makes a k sound, following standard Italian pronunciation rules.

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Correct pronunciation: duh-BREE

The s in debris is silent because it’s a French loanword. In French, final consonants are often silent unless followed by a vowel, which explains why we pronounce it duh-BREE.

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Correct pronunciation: FOH

Faux, meaning "false" in French, is pronounced FOH, with a silent x. It follows French pronunciation rules, where eaux typically sounds like a long o.

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Correct pronunciation: ri-SEET

The silent p in receipt comes from the Latin recepta. While Middle English speakers once pronounced it, the sound disappeared over time, though the spelling remained unchanged.

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Correct pronunciation: SEG-way

Though it looks like seg-you, it’s pronounced _SEG-way_—yes, just like the Segway vehicle. The word originally comes from the Italian segue, meaning "to follow."

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Correct pronunciation: KASH

Cache, meaning a hidden store of items, is pronounced KASH. It comes from the French cacher ("to hide"), where the e is silent. Many mistakenly say cash-ay, confusing it with cachet.

Image: Fiona Smallwood

Correct pronunciation: MOHV or MAWV

Many pronounce mawv like the aw in straw, but in British English, it’s often closer to mohv. The word comes from French, where au makes an oh sound, though English speakers have regional variations.

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Correct pronunciation: VIT-uhlz

Victuals (meaning food supplies) is pronounced VIT-uhlz, not VIK-choo-alls. It derives from the Latin victualia, but while the spelling was preserved, the pronunciation evolved.