Why does dunce mean a slow learner when it came from the name of a brilliant medieval scholar? In this episode of Origins in Five, we trace the strange journey from John Duns Scotus to the insult dunce—and the sad history behind the dunce cap.

Questions? Comments? Email us at originsinfive@gmail.com.

Why do we call it a sandwich? In this episode of Origins in Five, we trace the word back to John Montague, the Earl of Sandwich, and the famous story of a meal designed for long hours at the card table.

Questions? Comments? Email us at originsinfive@gmail.com.

Why does island have an S that nobody says? In this episode of Origins in Five, we trace the word back through Old English and Middle English to uncover how a mistaken link to French and Latin gave island a silent letter it was never meant to have.

Questions? Comments? Email us at originsinfive@gmail.com.

In this episode of Origins in Five, we trace the surprising history of the word silhouette. What sounds elegant today began as a mocking reference to a French finance minister associated with austerity, thrift, and cheapness before becoming a word for shadowy beauty.

Questions? Comments? Email us at originsinfive@gmail.com.

What does it really mean to go berserk? In this episode of Origins in Five, we trace the word back to the Viking world of the berserkers, elite warriors said to fight in a trance-like fury. From bearskins and battle legends to the modern meaning of uncontrollable rage, this is the story behind one of English’s wildest words.

Questions? Comments? Email us at originsinfive@gmail.com.

Where does the word boycott come from? In this episode of Origins in Five, we trace the term back to Captain Charles Boycott, an English land agent in 1880s Ireland whose social isolation gave the world a new word for collective nonviolent protest.

Questions? Comments? Email us at originsinfive@gmail.com.

Why is malaria named after “bad air”? In this episode of Origins in Five, we trace the word back through Italian, ancient medicine, and the long-lived miasma theory that once blamed disease on foul-smelling air rising from swamps and decay.

Questions? Comments? Email us at originsinfive@gmail.com.

What does your breakfast have to do with ancient Rome? In this episode of Origins in Five, we trace the word cereal back to Ceres, the Roman goddess of grain, and follow its journey from sacred agriculture to the modern breakfast table.

Questions? Comments? Email us at originsinfive@gmail.com.