John Kelly
@mashedradish.bsky.social
Your "rigorous af" word guy. Formerly, head of content at Dictionary.com, contributor to Merriam-Webster and Oxford Dictionaries, emoji lexicographer for Emojipedia, and educator. I (still) blog about etymology at masheradish.com.
Reposted by John Kelly
John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social makes 'fascism' his Etymology of the Year
mashedradish.com/2025/11/04/f...
mashedradish.com/2025/11/04/f...
The 2025 Etymology of the Year
“Fascism” is a challenging word for a challenging moment, and its origins may bear lessons for us.
mashedradish.com
November 9, 2025 at 10:54 PM
John Kelly @mashedradish.bsky.social makes 'fascism' his Etymology of the Year
mashedradish.com/2025/11/04/f...
mashedradish.com/2025/11/04/f...
My pleasure, James!
November 7, 2025 at 2:34 PM
My pleasure, James!
Sensational! Thanks for sharing this. I wasn't familiar—and am now overjoyed.
November 6, 2025 at 11:32 PM
Sensational! Thanks for sharing this. I wasn't familiar—and am now overjoyed.
I've definitely been monitoring the productive spread of this attributive use of 'vibe' beyond the prominent 'vibe coding,' from 'vibe marketing' to 'vibe betting' and more.
November 6, 2025 at 12:33 PM
I've definitely been monitoring the productive spread of this attributive use of 'vibe' beyond the prominent 'vibe coding,' from 'vibe marketing' to 'vibe betting' and more.
Honorable mentions include: aura farming, taskmasking, broligarchy, biohacking, HENRY (high earner, not rich yet), micro-retirement, glaze, coolcation, and clanker.
November 6, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Honorable mentions include: aura farming, taskmasking, broligarchy, biohacking, HENRY (high earner, not rich yet), micro-retirement, glaze, coolcation, and clanker.
/6 Last night, the mayor, and many other officials and progressive initiatives, won majorly.
Which adverb 'majorly,' by the way, now at least 100 years old, should get to shed its informal status.
Which adverb 'majorly,' by the way, now at least 100 years old, should get to shed its informal status.
November 5, 2025 at 1:39 PM
/6 Last night, the mayor, and many other officials and progressive initiatives, won majorly.
Which adverb 'majorly,' by the way, now at least 100 years old, should get to shed its informal status.
Which adverb 'majorly,' by the way, now at least 100 years old, should get to shed its informal status.
5/ ‘Major’ is evidenced by 1390 (OED) if not well before. It’s borrowed directly from the Latin ‘maior,’ although its French counterpart (now ‘majeur’) no doubt influenced it along the way.
November 5, 2025 at 1:39 PM
5/ ‘Major’ is evidenced by 1390 (OED) if not well before. It’s borrowed directly from the Latin ‘maior,’ although its French counterpart (now ‘majeur’) no doubt influenced it along the way.
4/ I love the many derived forms of ‘mayor’ in English:
mayoral
mayoralty
mayordom
mayorhood
mayorial
mayorship
mayor
And surely many more nonce formations.
mayoral
mayoralty
mayordom
mayorhood
mayorial
mayorship
mayor
And surely many more nonce formations.
November 5, 2025 at 1:39 PM
4/ I love the many derived forms of ‘mayor’ in English:
mayoral
mayoralty
mayordom
mayorhood
mayorial
mayorship
mayor
And surely many more nonce formations.
mayoral
mayoralty
mayordom
mayorhood
mayorial
mayorship
mayor
And surely many more nonce formations.
3/ ‘Mayor’ is attested (OED) in English as early as 1260 in the Scottish ‘mair,’ referring to an officer with some delegated judicial or executive authority.
Its “head of a city or town” sense is recorded by 1325, borrowed from the French ‘mair’ and Old French ‘maire’ before it.
Its “head of a city or town” sense is recorded by 1325, borrowed from the French ‘mair’ and Old French ‘maire’ before it.
November 5, 2025 at 1:39 PM
3/ ‘Mayor’ is attested (OED) in English as early as 1260 in the Scottish ‘mair,’ referring to an officer with some delegated judicial or executive authority.
Its “head of a city or town” sense is recorded by 1325, borrowed from the French ‘mair’ and Old French ‘maire’ before it.
Its “head of a city or town” sense is recorded by 1325, borrowed from the French ‘mair’ and Old French ‘maire’ before it.
2/ Both ‘mayor’ and ‘major’ ultimately come, via French, from the Latin ‘maior,’ meaning “greater.” It is the comparative form of ‘magnus’ (great, large, big). The superlative is ‘maximus.’
Derivatives of Latin’s ‘magnus’ are many in English. ‘Magnificent’ is but one example. As is ‘magnanimity.’
Derivatives of Latin’s ‘magnus’ are many in English. ‘Magnificent’ is but one example. As is ‘magnanimity.’
November 5, 2025 at 1:39 PM
2/ Both ‘mayor’ and ‘major’ ultimately come, via French, from the Latin ‘maior,’ meaning “greater.” It is the comparative form of ‘magnus’ (great, large, big). The superlative is ‘maximus.’
Derivatives of Latin’s ‘magnus’ are many in English. ‘Magnificent’ is but one example. As is ‘magnanimity.’
Derivatives of Latin’s ‘magnus’ are many in English. ‘Magnificent’ is but one example. As is ‘magnanimity.’
Isn't that something?!
November 4, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Isn't that something?!
What a lovely poem
November 1, 2025 at 4:34 PM
What a lovely poem