Words dissemble Words be quick Words resemble walking sticks Plant them they will grow Watch them waver so I´ll always be a word man Better then a bird manJim Morrison, An American Prayer. Words and language are powerful. Your choice of words can have a very powerful effect, be that in your personal life or in business.
It's always been an area that has fascinated me.
Where does that word come from?
Why is it that if I use it in one context it sounds good, whereas in another it is completely inappropriate?
In many cases you do not really need to ask those questions, as you know instinctively which word to use in which context.
The OED is one of the primary resources for English usage. They would like to think that they are the primary resource, however others would not be so likely to agree.
If you are interested in words you can signup for their Word of the Day service, which will send you a word and its details, including etymology, once a day via email.
I've been subscribed for the last couple of years and find some of them to be truly fascinating.
The OED are currently working in tandem with the BBC to add and improve new listings for the next edition of the dictionary.
Some of the words and phrases they are interested in might be of interest to techies:
"bog-standard Wanted: printed evidence before 1983; information on the word's origin Bikers and techies — can you help with bog-standard? One theory is that it's a corruption of 'box-standard' (i.e. 'straight out of the box, unmodified'), and is associated with motorbikes and cars back in the sixties. The OED has only found it in 1983 about computers. Have you got biking memorabilia to prove the geeks didn't invent it? Or is there another explanation?"The full entry may be seen here Do you think you are a real nerd?
