Making up language

Words that were invented by fiction writers, and now we all use them

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Sometimes, preexisting words just don’t cut it for writers. So they invent new ones. That was the case for terms like utopia, robot, and nerd. Whether they grew to be used in philosophical texts or on playgrounds, they have certainly entered our vocabulary. Let’s take a look at 11 examples!

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The word has been many things, from a schoolyard insult to a badge of honor for having certain interests. It first appeared in Dr. Seuss’s 1950 book If I Ran the Zoo, where a strange creature called a "Nerd" appears among other fanciful beasts.

Seuss didn’t define it as brainy or awkward, but within a few years, the word was popping up in slang to describe socially inept people or bookworms.

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Today, when we say "cyberspace," we mean the intangible digital world we enter when we go online. But the word was coined by sci-fi writer William Gibson in his 1982 short story Burning Chrome.

Gibson later famously described cyberspace as a "consensual hallucination" shared by billions of connected users. The term predates the World Wide Web by nearly a decade, yet it foresaw the immersive, sometimes overwhelming, reality of living digitally.

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Today, when we say we have "debunked" a myth, we mean that we have exposed it as false. The word itself, however, originated as a literary invention in 1923, coined by American writer William E. Woodward in his book Bunk.

Woodward used debunk to mean stripping nonsense, or "bunk" of its dignity, a definition that closely aligns with how the word is still used today.

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Today, we picture robots as everything from Roombas to humanoid androids, but the word itself dates back to a 1920 Czech play, R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots) by Karel Čapek.

The term comes from robota, meaning "forced labor" or "drudgery." In the play, however, the "robots" were not mechanical but biological constructs, closer to what we might now call clones. Both the term and the concept spread quickly across Europe and the United States, reaching the vocabulary of more and more writers.

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When we say something is "utopic," we mean it’s impossibly ideal. The term "utopia" was coined by Sir Thomas More in his 1516 book Utopia, where he described an imaginary island society with perfect laws, harmony, and equality.

But the trick was in the name: in Greek, ou-topos means "no place" while eu-topos means "good place." The word took off quickly, giving us not only "utopia" but also its darker twin, "dystopia," which would dominate much of modern literature.

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Few words sound as delightful as what they mean, and "serendipity" is one of them. It refers to a happy accident, a lucky discovery made while looking for something else.

The term was coined in 1754 by Horace Walpole, a British writer and politician, inspired by a Persian fairy tale titled The Three Princes of Serendip. In the story, the princes are constantly making discoveries "by accident and sagacity."

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Fans of Harry Potter know Lumos as the spell that lights the tip of a wand. J. K. Rowling coined the word by drawing on Latin roots, such as lumen, meaning "light."

"Lumos" has since slipped into everyday use to the point that some smartphone voice assistants recognize it as a command to turn on a device’s flashlight.

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The word hobbit instantly evokes images of small, hairy-footed inhabitants of the Shire, thanks to J. R. R. Tolkien. A trained philologist with a deep fascination for languages, Tolkien coined numerous terms, including hobbit and mithril, that have since entered popular culture.

The word became widely recognized even beyond The Lord of the Rings fan base. While hobbit originally referred to a fictional race in Tolkien’s legendarium, it is now sometimes used informally to evoke something small, cozy, or diminutive in character.

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Today, we use tween to describe the awkward stage between childhood and adolescence, typically covering ages 9 to 12. The word itself, however, traces back to J. R. R. Tolkien, who first introduced the idea of "tweens."

In The Fellowship of the Ring, hobbits in their "tweens" were those between 20 and 33; no longer teenagers, but not yet considered fully adult in hobbit society. Marketers later borrowed the catchy term to describe human preteens, and it stuck.

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The word "gossip" feels inseparable from modern life. Yet it began as the Old English term godsibb, meaning a "godparent" or a close, trusted companion. It was Geoffrey Chaucer, in The Canterbury Tales, who helped nudge the meaning toward talk and chatter.

Over time, the term drifted further, shifting from "companion" to "idle talk" and, eventually, to its modern association with rumor and speculation.

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We all know what it means to be a butterfingers: clumsy, prone to dropping things, with hands seemingly as slippery as if coated in butter. This playful insult is often credited to Charles Dickens, who used it in his novel The Pickwick Papers to mock a character’s poor grip on objects.

What science says

It was false after all: 10 health myths that sound true—but aren't

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Health myths are everywhere! These ideas were simply passed down for so long that they became part of what we believed. But now science has stepped in to clear things up. Does cold weather make you sick? Can lemon detox your body? Is reading in low light really harmful? Let's uncover the truth behind 10 common health myths!

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Have you ever been told that cutting your hair will make it grow faster? We're sorry to say that's just a myth. Hair grows from the root, not the ends. So, trimming it won't boost growth, though it does help remove split ends that can make your hair look dry or unhealthy.

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This is one of the most common health myths. Cold weather often gets blamed, but it's not the temperature that makes you catch a cold. During winter, we tend to stay indoors with others and keep the windows closed, an environment that makes it easier for viruses to spread. That's why colds tend to be more common in winter!

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The idea that eating before bed automatically leads to weight gain is a myth. In reality, it has more to do with what you eat and how much, rather than the time of day. Often, when we eat very late at night, we're tired and more likely to reach for quick, high-calorie, heavy foods. This can disrupt sleep and lead to consuming more calories than we burn, both of which may affect weight. If it's close to bedtime, it's better to have something light and healthy in a moderate portion than to skip a meal altogether.

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Does wearing glasses weaken your vision? Myth! If an eye doctor prescribes glasses, wearing them as directed helps correct your vision; it won't make it worse. Additionally, the right glasses can help prevent or reduce headaches caused by reading or spending long hours in front of a screen.

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This myth is closely related to the previous one. If you love reading and sometimes have to do it in low light because of the situation, don't worry. According to experts, reading in low light doesn't cause permanent or irreversible eye damage. However, it's not recommended because it can make your eyes feel tired or strained, leading to discomfort or headaches.

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We're all different, and so are our bodies. The idea that everyone should drink exactly eight glasses of water a day is more of a general guideline than a rule. Staying well hydrated throughout the day is extremely important, but how much water you need depends on factors like your weight, age, climate, and overall health. We should prioritize staying consistently hydrated instead of obsessing over the number of glasses we drink.

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Some people say drinking lemon water helps eliminate toxins and cleanse the body. While adding a slice of lemon to your water is a refreshing way to stay hydrated, it doesn't have any special "detoxifying" powers. The vitamin C in citrus fruits is beneficial, but the body has its own natural detox system. The liver and kidneys are the main organs that filter waste and eliminate toxins.

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Not all fats are bad! Just like other food groups, your body needs fats to function properly. The important thing is knowing the difference between healthy fats and those that can be harmful. Foods like avocados, seeds, olive oil, fish, and nuts are rich in healthy fats. On the other hand, the fats found in processed or fried foods are the ones that can have a negative impact on your body.

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Liver diseases can be serious. While heavy and frequent consumption of alcohol and fats is a major contributor, it's not the only cause. Liver problems can also result from many other factors. These include viral infections, autoimmune diseases, genetic disorders, high blood pressure, and exposure to certain chemicals.

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There's some truth to it: breakfast is important because it replenishes our glucose and energy levels and supports proper metabolism. However, the idea that it's the most important meal of the day might be an exaggeration. Everyone's body has different needs, and all meals are important, so we shouldn't skip any of them!