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Radio Omniglot

Simon Ager

Podcasts about languages and words

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S1 · E261
October 11 · 2 min
Omniglot News (11/10/26)
Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot. New language pages: Bowili (Tuwuli), a Kwa language spoken in the Volta Region in southeastern Ghana. Alagwa (Alaagwa’isa), a South Cushitic language spoken in the Dodoma Region in central Tanzania. Lela (c’Lélà), a Northwest Kainji language spoken in the northwest of Nigeria. New constructed script: Phoenixian, which was created by Dave Kos to write the constructed Phoenixian language, and also English. New constructed script: Dual Tone, which was invented by Grace Sanon as a colour-based alphabet that can be used English and other languages. New numbers pages: Kulango (Nkuraeng), a Gur language spoken in Ivory Coast and Ghana. Musi (Basé Musi), a Malayic language spoken mainly in South Sumatra province in Indonesia. Mortlockese (kapsen Mwoshulók) a Micronesian language spoken mainly in the Mortlock Islands in Micronesia. In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, entitled Furnished Performance, we find out what connects the words furnish and perform. It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok. On the Omniglot blog this week we find out what connects pillows to dust in a post called Dusty Pillows, and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you guess what language this is: Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in Guatemala. The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Gagauz (Gagauz dili / Gagauzça), a Western Oghuz Turkic language spoken mainly in Moldova, Ukraine and Bulgaria. On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post about words for Seaweed and related things in Celtic languages. For more Omniglot News, see: https://www.omniglot.com/news/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100046466483286 You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Podchaser. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways. Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.
S1 · E208
October 10 · 1 min
Adventures in Etymology – Furnished Performance
In this Adventure in Etymology we find out what connects the words furnish and perform. To furnish [ˈfɜːnɪʃ / ˈfɝnɪʃ] means to provide a place with furniture, or other equipment, to supply or give (something), or to supply (somebody) with something. It comes from Middle English furnishen (to fit out or equip, to provide or furnish), from Old French from fornir (to provide, carry out, discharge), from Frankish *frumjan (to accomplish, carry out), from Proto-Germanic *frumjaną (to perform, promote, accomplish), from PIE *promo- (front, forward), from *pro- (toward, forward) [source]. To perform means to do (something) in front of an audience, such as acting or music, often in order to entertain, to function, to work, to behave in certain ways, and various other things. It comes from the same Frankish and Proto-Germanic roots as furnish, via Middle English parformen (to execute, carry out, perform, effect, finish), Anglo-Norman parformir and Old French parfornir [source]. Other words from the some Proto-Germanic roots include fournir (to supply, provide, furnish) in French, Furnier (veneer) in German, фанера (fanera – plywood, sound track) in Russian, fornecer (to supply, provide, furnish) in Portuguese, and form and furniture in English [source]. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways. Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot. I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.
S1 · E260
October 4 · 2 min
Omniglot News (04/10/26)
Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot. New language pages: Kanembu (Kanembou / كَنٜݦُ), a Western Saharan language spoken in southeastern Chad. Teda (Tedaga), a Western Saharan language spoken in Chad, Libya and Niger. Afade (Afaɗə), a Chadic language spoken in northern Cameroon and northeastern Nigeria. New numbers page: Bowili (Tuwili), a Kwa language spoken in the Volta Region in southeastern Ghana. New: Time, Family words and Colours pages in Plains Cree (ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐍᐏᐣ / nēhiyawēwin), an Algonquian language spoken in Canada and the USA. New colours page: Polish (polski), a Western Slavic language spoken mainly in Poland. In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, entitled Tasteful Taxis, we find out what connects the words taxi, task, tax and taste. It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok. On the Omniglot blog this week we find out what links the European wryneck (a type of bird) with spells and charms in a post called Birds of Ill Omen, and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you guess what language this is: Here’s a clue: this language is spoken mainly in Moldova, Ukraine and Bulgaria. The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Suwawa, a Philippine language spoken in Gorontalo Province on Sulawesi Island in Indonesia. On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post about words for Barley and related things in Celtic languages. For more Omniglot News, see: https://www.omniglot.com/news/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100046466483286 You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Podchaser. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways. Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.
S1 · E207
October 3 · 2 min
Adventures in Etymology – Tasteful Taxis
In this Adventure in Etymology we find out what connects the words taxi, task, tax and taste. A taxi [ˈtaksɪj / ˈtæksi] is a vehicle, usually a car, that may be hired for single journeys by members of the public, particularly one with an automated meter to calculate the fare. As a verb, to taxi means to move an aircraft on the ground under its own power, or to travel or transport by taxi. The aircraft moving sense comes from a slang term for training aircraft practicing ground operations, which appeared to move around like taxis. Taxi is an abbreviation of taximeter cab from French taximètre (taximeter), from German Taxameter (taximeter), from Medieval Latin taxa (tax, charge) and -meter (device to measure a certain property) [source]. A taximeter is a device installed in a taxi that calculates the fare based upon distance travelled and waiting time. It is often abbreviated to meter [source]. Taxa comes from Latin taxō (to feel, charge, rate, judge), from PIE *teh₂g- (to touch, grasp, take with the hand) [source]. A cabriolet (carriage) Cab is a clipping of cabriolet (a car or carriage with a retractable or folding top), which comes from French cabriolet (a convertible car, a cabriolet carriage), from Italian cabriola (horse caper), from Latin capreolus (a roe deer), from PIE *kápros (billy goat [source]. Words from the PIE root *teh₂g- (to touch, grasp, etc) possibly include tage (to take, get, catch, charge) in Danish, taxeren (to evaluate, appraise) in Dutch, taxa (fee, tax, rate) in Portuguese, teimlo (to feel, touch) in Welsh, and tack, tact, take, tangent, task, taste, tax and thwack in English [source]. Words from the PIE root *kápros (billy goat) possibly include gafr (goat) in Welsh, gabhar (goat) in Irish, hafur (billy goat) in Icelandic, kauris (deer) in Finnish, chevron (rafter) in French, and haver (to talk foolishly, to chatter) in Scots [source]. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways. Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot. I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.
S1 · E259
September 27 · 2 min
Omniglot News (27/09/26)
Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot. New language pages: Eipo (Lik Yuke), an Eastern Mek language spoken in the Highland Papua province in eastern Indonesian. Tontemboan, a North Minahasan language spoken in northern Sulawesi in Indonesia. Meru (Kĩmĩĩrũ), a Northeast Bantu language spoken in central Kenya. New adapted script: Cyrillic-Kiswahili (Кисирили-Кису’ахили), a way to write Swahili with the Cyrillic script devised by Myles Webley. New numbers pages: Michif, a mixed language combining Cree and French spoken in Canada and the USA. Meru (Kĩmĩĩrũ), a Northeast Bantu language spoken in central Kenya. New phrases pages: Michif, a mixed language combining Cree and French spoken in Canada and the USA. Meru (Kĩmĩĩrũ), a Northeast Bantu language spoken in central Kenya. New Tower of Babel translations: Meru (Kĩmĩĩrũ), a Northeast Bantu language spoken in central Kenya. Livvi-Karelian (livvin kieli), a Finnic language spoken in northwest Russia and southeast Finland. Eipo (Lik Yupe), an Eastern Mek language spoken in Highland Papua Province in eastern Indonesian. In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, entitled Wending One’s Way, we wend our way through the origins of the word wend and find out what links the Vandals with the Mediterranean Sea and Andalusia in Spain. It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok. On the Omniglot blog this week we find out what slow music has to do with being at ease in a post called At Ease, and there’s the usual language quiz. See if you guess what language this is: Here’s a clue: this language belongs to the Philippine language family, but isn’t spoken in the Philippines. The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Maliseet-Passamaquoddy, an Eastern Algonquian language spoken in New Brunswick in Canada and Maine in the USA. On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post about words for Suction and related things in Celtic languages. For more Omniglot News, see: https://www.omniglot.com/news/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100046466483286 You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Podchaser. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways. Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.
S1 · E206
September 26 · 3 min
Adventures in Etymology – Wending One’s Way
In this Adventure in Etymology we wend our way through the origins of the word wend. Wend [wɛnd] means to direct (one’s way or course), to pursue one’s way, or to proceed upon some course or way, and used to mean to turn, to change, to adapt, to veer, to pass away, to disappear, to depart or to vanish. It usually appears in phrases like ‘to wend one’s way’, for example, We wended our weary way westward. The modern past tense form of wend is wended, however it used to be went, which became the past tense of the verb to go. Wend comes from Middle English wenden (to walk, to travel, to move, to leave, to sail), from Old English wendan (to turn, change, translate, go, depart, happen), from Proto-West Germanic *wandijan (to turn), from Proto-Germanic *wandijaną (to turn), from *windaną (to wind, wrap) from PIE *wendʰ- (to wind, turn) [source]. Words from the same roots include wandern (to hike, migrate, wander) in German, vende (to invite, call, welcome) in Danish, wędrować (to wander, roam) in Polish, vanne (hoop, band, rim) in Finnish, and guantlet, wand, to wander, to wind and possibly and vandal in English [source]. The word vandal (a person who needlessly destroys, defaces, or damages things, especially other people’s property), comes from the Vandals, a group of Germanic peoples who are known for sacking Rome in 455 AD/CE [source]. Their name comes from Proto-Germanic *wandilaz (to wander, a Vandal), from *wandōną (to wander), from PIE *wendʰ- (to wind, turn) [source]. Alternatively, Vandal may come from PIE *wanđ- (water), which is also the root of Old English name for the Mediterranean Sea: Wendelsǣ (“Vandal sea”) [source]. Andalusia, a region in southern Spain, might also get it’s name from the Vandals. It comes from Medieval Latin Andalusia, from Arabic الأندلس [al.ʔan.da.lus], possibly from Vulgar Latin *Vandalicia (“land of the Vandals”) or from Vandalic *Wandalitia / *Vandalitia (“land of the Vandals”) [source]. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways. Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot. I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.
S1 · E258
September 20 · 2 min
Omniglot News (20/09/26)
Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot. New language pages: Ahwai (indùn), a Plateau language spoken in Kaduna State in central Nigeria. Gokana (Gòkánà), an East Ogoni language spoken in Rivers State in southern Nigeria. Hasha (Hàshà), an Alumic language spoken in Nasarawa State in the North Central region of Nigeria. New constructed script: Aksara Varadun, an alternative way to write Indonesian created by Zafran Al Fathan. New numbers page: Gokana (Gòkánà), an East Ogoni language spoken in Rivers State in southern Nigeria. New phrases page Nyamwezi, a Bantu language spoken in western Tanzania. New Tower of Babel translations: Mongo (Ngiembɔɔn), a Bamileke language spoken in the West Region in southwestern Cameroon. Hanunoo (Hanunó’o), a South Mangyan language spoken in Mindoro in the Philippines. Loma (Löömàgòòi), a Southwestern Mande language spoken in northern Liberia Maiadomu, a Western Oceanic language spoken in Milne Bay Province in Papua New Guinea. Makhuwa (Emakhuwa), a Bantu language spoken in Mozambique and Tanzania. In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, entitled Gracefully Pleasing, we uncover the gratefully pleasing roots of the word grace. It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok. On the Omniglot blog this week we find out links a New World monkey, a type of cloak, an order of friars and a type of coffee in a post entitled Monks, Monkeys & Coffee, and there’s the usual language quiz. See if you guess what language this is: Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in Canada and the USA. The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Tacana, a Western Tacanan language spoken in La Paz Department in northwestern Bolivia. On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post about words for Service and related things in Celtic languages. For more Omniglot News, see: https://www.omniglot.com/news/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100046466483286 You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Podchaser. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways. Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.
S1 · E205
September 19 · 2 min
Adventures in Etymology – Gracefully Pleasing
In this Adventure in Etymology we uncover the gratefully pleasing roots of the word grace. As a noun grace [ɡɹeɪs] can mean: Charming, pleasing qualities. A short prayer of thanks before or after a meal. Elegant movement; elegance of movement; balance or poise. Favor, sanction or beneficence. As a verb to grace can mean: To adorn; to decorate; to embellish and dignify. To dignify or raise by an act of favour; to honour. To supply with heavenly grace. It comes from Middle English grace [ˈɡraː(t)sə] (the grace of God, luck, destiny, niceness, goodwill), from Old French grace (grace, favour, elegance), from Latin grātia (grace, thankfulness, thanks, influnce), from grātus (pleasing, dear, grateful), from Proto-Italic *gʷrātos (grateful, thankful) from PIE *gʷr̥H-tó-s (praised), from *gʷerH- (to praise, elevate) [source]. Words from the same roots include grazie (thank you) in Italian, grish (to invite, call, welcome) in Albanian, barn (opinion, view, judgement) in Welsh, bràth (judgement, destruction) in Scottish Gaelic, and agreement, bard, congratulate, grateful, gratitude and gratuity in English [source]. Incidentally, there were several other words for grace in Middle English, which included: held(e) [ˈheːld(ə)] = favour, grace, good will, duty, which is related to the Dutch word houden (to keep, care for, hold, love, like), and hold in Modern English [source]. este [ˈɛːst(ə)] = grace, favour, pleasure, fun, delicacy, which is related to the Icelandic word ást (love) [source]. ore [ˈɔ̝ːr(ə)] (honour, respect, grace, favour, respite), which is related to the German word Ehre (honour, credit) [source]. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways. Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot. I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.
S1 · E257
September 13 · 2 min
Omniglot News (13/09/26)
Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot. New language pages: Koyra Chiini (koyra ciini / كࣷيْرَ ٺِينِ), a Songhay language spoken mainly in the Tombouctou Region in southern Mali. Korandje (Kwạṛa n dzyəy), a Northern Songhay language spoken in Béchar Province in the northwest of Algeria. Vagla, a Southern Gur language spoken in the Savannah Region in northern Ghana. New constructed script: Ayneha, an alphabet created by Mahamadou Issiaka Maiga for the Songhay languages of Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Benin. New constructed script: Pogi, an alternative way to write Indonesian, Malay and other languages created by Marcus Tzeng. New numbers page: Mpade, a Chadic language spoken in the northern Cameroon and western Chad. Vagla, a Southern Gur language spoken in the Savannah Region in northern Ghana. New Tower of Babel translations: Ngiemboon (Ngiembɔɔn), a Bamileke language spoken in the West Region in southwestern Cameroon. Bhunjia, an Eastern Indo-Aryan language spoken in Odisha and Chhattisgarh in eastern India. Nyamwezi (Kinyamwezi), a Bantu language spoken in the Kigoma, Rukwa and Tabora regions in western Tanzania. Vagla, a Southern Gur language spoken in the Savannah Region in northern Ghana. In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, entitled Beaming Trees, we discover what links the word beam with words for tree. It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok. On the Omniglot blog this week we find out what links a type of pastry with lightning, flashes and sparkles in a post entitled Lightning Pastries, and there’s the usual language quiz. See if you guess what language this is: Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in Bolivia. The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Tindi (Идараб мицци), a Northeast Caucasian language spoken in Dagestan in the Russian Republic. On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post about words for He, She, It and related pronouns in Celtic languages. For more Omniglot News, see: https://www.omniglot.com/news/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100046466483286 You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Podchaser. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways. Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.
September 12 · 2 min
Adventures in Etymology – Beaming Trees
In this Adventure in Etymology we discover what links the word beam with words for tree. Meanings of beam [ˈbiːm] include any large piece of timber or iron long in proportion to its thickness, and prepared for use; one of the transverse members of a ship’s frame on which the decks are laid; a ray or collection of approximately parallel rays emitted from the sun or other luminous body. It comes from Middle English be(e)m [bɛ̝ːm] (beam, pole, antler, tree), from Old English bēam [bæɑːm] (tree, beam, gallows), from Proto-West Germanic *baum (tree, beam), from Proto-Germanic *bagmaz (tree, beam), possibly from PIE *bʰuH- (to become, grow, appear) [source]. Words from the same Proto-Germanic roots include Baum (tree, boom) and beamen (to beam, teleport, project) in German (borrowed from English, popularised by Star Trek), bom (bar, barrier, beam) in Danish, boom (tree, beam, mast) in Dutch, puomi (boom, barrier, pole) in Finnish, boom in English [source]. Incidentally, in Middle English there were several words for tree, including tre (tree, plants, wood), bem (beam, a set of scales, antler, tree) and arbre (tree). The first two come from Old English and Proto-Germanic, while arbre comes from Old French arbre (tree). Related words in English include arboretum (a place where many varieties of tree are grown for research, educational, and ornamental purposes), arboreal (tree-like, relating to trees) [source]. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways. Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot. I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.
S1 · E256
September 6 · 2 min
Omniglot News (06/09/26)
Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot. New language pages: Firan (Fɨràn), a West-Central Plateau language spoken in Plateau State in central Nigeria. Buli, a Gur language spoken in the Upper East Region in northern Ghana. Mpade (Mpadɨ), a Chadic language spoken in northern Cameroon and southwest Chad. New numbers page: Baoulé, a Kwa language spoken in Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast). Buli, a Gur language spoken in the Upper East Region in northern Ghana. Songe (Kisonge), a Bantu language spoken in the south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. New phrases page: Buli, a Gur language spoken in the Upper East Region in northern Ghana. New Tower of Babel translations: Baoulé, a Kwa language spoken in Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast). Bilaspuri, a Western Pahari language spoken in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab in northern India. Ambai, a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken mainly on the Ambai Islands in Papua province in Indonesia. Anuak, a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken mainly on the Ambai Islands in Papua province in Indonesia. Apali, a Trans-New Guinea language spoken in Madang Province in Papua New Guinea. Buli, a Gur language spoken in the Upper East Region in northern Ghana. Gourmanchéma (gùlmàncéma), a Gur language spoken in Burkina Faso, Togo, Niger and Benin. Vidunda (Chividunda), a Bantu language spoken in southern Tanzania. Medumba (Mə̀dʉ̂mbɑ̀), a Bamileke language spoken in the West Region in southwestern Cameroon. In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, entitled Feeble Foibles, we discover what links the words feeble and foible with bleating and bells. It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok. On the Omniglot blog this week we investigate various words for Rice in Swahili, Chinese and Japanese, and there’s the usual language quiz. See if you guess what language this is: Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in Dagestan in Russia. The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Lenakel (Netvaar), a Southern Oceanic language spoken on Tanna Island in southern Vanuatu. On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post about words for we, us and related pronouns entitled We Ourselves. For more Omniglot News, see: https://www.omniglot.com/news/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100046466483286 You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Podchaser. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways. Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.
S1 · E201
September 5 · 2 min
Adventures in Etymology – Feeble Foibles
In this Adventure in Etymology we discover what links the words feeble and foible with bleating and bells. Feeble [ˈfiːbəl] means deficient in physical strength; lacking force, vigour or effectiveness in action or expression, or faint. It comes from Middle English feble [ˈfeːbəl / ˈfeːblə] (feeble, weak, insidious), from Anglo-Norman feble (weak, feeble), from Latin flēbilis (lamentable, doleful), from fleō (to weep, cry, lament), ultimately from PIE *bʰleh₁- (to bleat, cry), from *bʰel- (to sound, speak, roar, bark) [source]. Words from the same PIE roots include блеять (blejat’ – to bleat) in Russian, blaten (to bleat, to speak pointlessly) in Dutch, bjalla (bell, to be noisy, to call) in Icelandic, and bell, bleat and blatant in English [source]. Foible [ˈfɔɪbəl] means a quirk, idiosyncrasy, frailty or mannerism; an unusual habit that is slightly strange or silly, or a weakness or failing of character. It comes from Early Modern French foible (feeble, weak), from Old French feble / foible (weak, feeble), from Latin flēbilis (lamentable, doleful), and so on – the same root as feeble [source]. Words from the same Latin roots include feble (weak, feeble) in Catalan, flébil (tearful, fragile) in Portuguese, fäbless (penchant, fondness) in Swedish, and Faible (soft spot, weakness, craze) in German [source]. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways. Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot. I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.
S1 · E255
August 30 · 2 min
Omniglot News (30/08/26)
Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot. New language pages: Leonese (Llionés), a Ibero-Romance language spoken mainly in the northwest of Spain. Angaataha (Angaatɨha), a Trans-New Guinea language spoken in Morobe Province in Papua New Guinea. Northwest Gbaya (Làì / Kàrà), an Atlantic-Congo language spoken in Cameroon and the Central African Republic. New numbers page: Angaataha (Angaatɨha), a Trans-New Guinea language spoken in Morobe Province in Papua New Guinea. Nizaa (Nízɑɑ̀), a Mambiloid language spoken in the Adamawa Region in northern Cameroon. New adapted script: Turkish Shavian (·𐑖𐑨𐑝𐑰 𐑑𐑳𐑮𐑒𐑗𐑧 / Şavi Türkçe), a way to write Turkish with the Shavian alphabet devised by Ethan Ikediashi. New Tower of Babel translation: Abaza (абаза бызшва), a North West Caucasian language spoken in the Republics of Karachay-Cherkessia and Adygea in the southwest of Russia. If someone is described as having come-hither eyes, it means their eyes are seducitve or alluring. If you tell a horse to come hither though, what would you expect it to do? Find out in this blog post Hither & Thither, and there’s the usual language quiz. See if you guess what language this is: Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in southern Vanuatu. The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Umbundu (Úmbúndú), a Bantu language spoken in western Angola. On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post about words for I, me and related pronouns entitled Me, Myself & I. For more Omniglot News, see: https://www.omniglot.com/news/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100046466483286 You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Podchaser. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways. Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.
S1 · E254
August 23 · 2 min
Omniglot News (23/08/26)
Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot. New language pages: Upper Necaxa Totonac, a Central Totonac language spoken in Puebla in southeastern Mexico. Ngwo (Engwo), a Southern Bantoid language spoken in the North West Region of Cameroon. Nizaa (Nízɑɑ̀), a Mambiloid language spoken in the Adamawa Region in northern Cameroon. New numbers page: Upper Necaxa Totonac, a Central Totonac language spoken in Puebla in southeastern Mexico. Nizaa (Nízɑɑ̀), a Mambiloid language spoken in the Adamawa Region in northern Cameroon. Improved phrases page: Kichwa – now with translations and recordings of all the phrases. New Tower of Babel translations: Orokolo, a Western Eleman language spoken in Gulf Province in Papua New Guinea. Khakas (Хакас тілі), a Turkic language spoken in the Republic of Khakassia in southern Russia. In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, Yawning Hiatus, we discover what links the word hiatus with yawning. It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok. On the Omniglot blog we find out when a number is not a number in a post entitled Numbering Houses, and there’s the usual language quiz. See if you guess what language this is: Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in western Angola. The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Yidgha (یدغہ), an Eastern Iranian language spoken in northern Pakistan. On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post about words for you and related things entitled You Yourself. For more Omniglot News, see: https://www.omniglot.com/news/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100046466483286 You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Podchaser. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways. Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.
S1 · E202
August 22 · 2 min
Adventures in Etymology – Yawning Hiatus
In this Adventure in Etymology we discover what links the word hiatus with yawning. A hiatus [haɪˈeɪtəs / hɐˈjaː.t̪ʊs] is a gap in a series, making it incomplete; an interruption, break, pause or absence; a temporary break from work, especially one which is unexpected, and various other things. It comes from Latin hiātus (a hiatus, opening, gap, aperture, cleft, longing, desire), from hiō (to yawn, gape, pause, be amazed), from Proto-Italic *hiāō, from PIE *ǵʰeh₂- (to yawn, gape) [source]. Words from the same roots include zijati (to stare, gape, yawn) in Slovenian, ganar (to gain, earn, win) in Spanish, a căsca (to yawn, gape) in Romanian, gína (to gape) in Icelandic, and gain, gap, gape, gum and yawn in English [source]. The word chaos possibly also comes from the same PIE root. It was borrowed from Ancient Greek χάος (khắos – chaos, the primordial state of existence, space, air, abyss, chasm, infinite darkness), and is probably related to words like *χάϝος (kháwos – hole, empty space, yawning opening) and χάσκω (kháskō – to gape, yawn) [source]. The word gas also shares the same roots. It was coined by Dutch Chemist Jan Baptist van Helmont in 1648, and was derived from Ancient Greek χάος (khắos – chaos, etc). It was possibly also inspired by the Dutch word geest (ghost, spirit, mind), which is related to the English word ghost [source]. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways. Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot. I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.
S1 · E253
August 16 · 2 min
Omniglot News (16/08/26)
Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot. New language pages: Neo, an international auxiliary language created by Arturo Alfandari in the 1930s. Eloyi (Ɛ̀llɔ́ì / Ẹ̀llọ́ì), a Plataeau language spoken in central and southeast Nigeria. Gapapaiwa, a Western Oceanic language spoken in Milne Bay Province in Papua New Guinea. New numbers page: Neo, an international auxiliary language created by Arturo Alfandari in the 1930s. Gurung (तमु क्यी), a Tamangic language spoken in south and central Nepal and northeast India. New adapated script: Maltilliku (Малтиллику), a way to write Maltese with the Cyrillic alphabet devised by Michael Lai. New constructed script: Lafnyan, which was created by Igor W. T. Beccaro Damini to use in an epic fantasy book series he is writing. In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, Woven Waves, we unravel the woven origins of the word wave. It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok. On the Omniglot blog we find out whether the words ford, fjord and port are related in a post entitled Fording Fjord Ports, and there’s the usual language quiz. See if you guess what language this is: Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in Pakistan. The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Serrano (Maarrênga’twich), an Uto-Aztecan language spoken in southern California in the USA. For more Omniglot News, see: https://www.omniglot.com/news/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100046466483286 You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Podchaser. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways. Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.
S1 · E201
August 15 · 2 min
Adventures in Etymology – Woven Waves
In this Adventure in Etymology we unravel the woven origins of the word wave. As verb, to wave [wɛjv / weɪv] can mean to move back and forth repeatedly and somewhat loosely; to move one’s hand back and forth in greeting or departure; to call attention to by a waving motion, or to have an undulating or wavy form. It comes from Middle English waven [ˈwaːvən] (to shake, swing, go away, waver, wave), from Old English wafian [ˈwɑ.vi.ɑn] (to wave), from Proto-West Germanic *wabbjan (to cause to weave, wrap, entangle), from Proto-Germanic *wabjaną (to cause to weave, wrap, entangle), from *webaną (to weave), from PIE *webʰ- (to weave, braid) [source]. Words from the same roots include wasp, waver, weave, web and weft (the horizontal threads that are interlaced through the warp in a woven fabric) in English, weben (to weave, intertwine) in German, väv (weave, fabric, web) in Swedish, guêpe (wasp) in French, and vespa (wasp) in Italian [source]. A wave is a moving disturbance in the level of a body of liquid; an undulation, a moving disturbance in the energy level of a field, and so on. It comes from partially from the same roots as the verb to wave, and also from Middle English wawe [wau̯] (a wave), from Old English wǣġ [wæːj] (wave, water), from Proto-West Germanic *wāg (wave), from Proto-Germanic *wēgaz (wave, sea), from PIE *weǵʰ- (to bring, transport) [source]. Words from the same roots include vector, vehicle, wagon, way, wedge and weight in English, weg (way, road, manner) in Dutch, veslo (oar) in Czech, gwaith (work, labour, act) in Welsh, and féan (wagon, cart) in Irish [source]. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways. Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot. I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.
S1 · E252
August 9 · 1 min
Omniglot News (09/08/26)
Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot. New language pages: Ngambay, a Central Sudanic language spoken in Chad, Cameroon and Nigeria. Ineseño (Sʰamala), a Chumashan language that was spoken in southern California in the USA and that is being revived. Tungag (Lavongai), a Western Oceanic language spoken in New Ireland Province in Papua New Guinea. New numbers page: Tungag (Lavongai), a Western Oceanic language spoken in New Ireland Province in Papua New Guinea. New phrases page: Valencian (valencià), a Western Catalan language spoken mainly in Valencia in eastern Spain. In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, we discover the origins of the word Influence. This is episode 200 of Adventures in Etymology, by the way. It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok. On the Omniglot blog we find out whether near is nearer than nigh in a post entitled Nearly Nigh, and there’s the usual language quiz. See if you guess what language this is: Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in southern California in the USA. The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Djabugay, a Pama-Nyungan spoken in Far North Queensland in the northeast of Australia. On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post entitled Shining Bright about words for clear, bright, shining and related things in Celtic languages. For more Omniglot News, see: https://www.omniglot.com/news/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100046466483286 You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Podchaser. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways. Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.
S1 · E200
August 8 · 2 min
Adventures in Etymology – Influence
In this Adventure in Etymology we discover the origins of the word influence. Influence [ˈɪn.flu.əns] can refer to the power to affect, control or manipulate something or someone; an action exerted by a person or thing on another to cause change, or a person or thing exerting such power or action. In astrology, influence is apparently an element believed to determine someone’s character or individual tendencies, caused by the position of the stars and planets at the time of one’s birth, and it used to mean the action of flowing in or an influx. As a verb to influence can mean to have an effect on by using gentle or subtle action; to modify, bias or sway; to persuade or induce; to exert or make use of one’s influence, and it used to mean to cause to flow in, to infuse or to instill. It comes from Middle English influence / influens (control, power, influence, flowing, influx), from Old French influence (inundation, flooding, influence, especially viewed as a mystical force affecting one’s fate), from Medieval Latin īnfluentia (influence), from Latin īnfluēns (flowing into), from īnfluō (to flow into, stream, rush, throng), from in (in, within) and fluō (to flow, stream, pour) [source]. Words from the same Latin roots include influx and influenza in English, influencia (influence, clout, leverage) and influjo (influx, sway, influence) in Spanish, influenza (influence, influenza) in Italian, influer (to influence) in French [source]. Other words with similarly fluid roots (fluō in Latin) include fluid, flume, flux, affluent, effluent, confluent, superfluous in English, confluir (to converge) in Catalan, and fiume (river) in Italian [source]. Incidentally, this is the 200th episode of the Adventures in Etymology podcast. You can find links to all previous episodes on the Adventures in Etymology page of this blog. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways. Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot. I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.
S1 · E251
August 2 · 2 min
Omniglot News (02/08/26)
Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot. New language pages: Koyrasboro Senni (كࣷيْرَبࣷرࣷ سٜنِّ), a Southern Songhay language spoken in southern Mali. Tuwali, a Philippine language spoken the Province of Ifugao in northern Luzon in the Philippines. Nga La (Matu), a Southern Kuki-Chin language spoken western Myanmar and northeastern India. New numbers page: Tuwali, a Philippine language spoken the Province of Ifugao northern Luzon in the Philippines. Nga La, a Southern Kuki-Chin language spoken western Myanmar and northeastern India. New phrases page: Nga La, a Southern Kuki-Chin language spoken western Myanmar and northeastern India. New Tower of Babel translations pages: Udi (удин муз / udin muz), a Northeast Caucasian language spoken in Azerbaijan, Russia, Georgia and Armenia. Wandala, a Chadic language spoken in northern Cameroon and northwestern Nigeria. Talinga, a Bantu language spoken in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Tamahaq, a Northern Berber language spoken in Algeria, Libya and Niger. Tandroy, a Southern Kuki-Chin language spoken in Chin State in western Myanmar. Tsakhur, a northeast Caucasian language spoken in Azerbaijan and Russia Ut Main, a Northwest Kainji language spoken in northern Nigeria. New constructed script: Simgeul, a way to write Korean with a “simplified” version of the Korean Hangeul script created by Ajn. In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, we point out the origins of the word Index. It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok. On the Omniglot blog we discover what griffons have to do with messy writing in a post entitled Griffonage, and there’s the usual language quiz. See if you guess what language this is: Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in northeastern Australia. The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Chakhar (ᠴᠠᠬᠠᠷ), a variety of Mongolian spoken in the Inner Mongolia Region in northern China. On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post entitled Confluent Ravines about words for ravine, confluence and related things in Celtic languages. For more Omniglot News, see: https://www.omniglot.com/news/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100046466483286 You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Podchaser. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways. Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

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