Word Matters is a show for readers, writers, and anyone who's curious about the English language. Join Merriam-Webster editors as they challenge supposed grammar rules, reveal the surprising origins behind words, tackle common questions, and generally geek out about the beautiful nightmare that is our language. more

Words for Granted is a podcast that looks at how words change over time. Host Ray Belli uses linguistic evolution as a way of understanding larger historical and cultural changes. more

Jess Zafarris and Rob Watts unravel the stories behind everyday words.Want to watch our episodes too? Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8R3ZnESMdsuTevq4ib9CvA more

A chronological history of the English language examined through the lens of historical events that shaped the development and spread of the language from the Eurasian steppe to the entire world. more

Adventures in language with Helen Zaltzman. TheAllusionist.org

Light-hearted conversation with callers from all over about new words, old sayings, slang, family expressions, language change and varieties, as well as word histories, linguistics, regional dialects, word games, grammar, books, literature, writing, and more.Be a part of the show with author/journalist Martha Barnette and linguist/lexicographer Grant Barrett. Share your language thoughts, questions, and stories: https://waywordradio.org/contact or words@waywordradio.org.In the US ?? and Canada ??, call or text 1 (877) 929-9673 toll-free 24/7.Send a voice note or message via WhatsApp, 16198004443.From everywhere, call or text +1 (619) 800-4443.Past episodes, show notes, topic search, and more: https://waywordradio.org.A Way with Words is listener-supported! https://waywordradio.org/donate ❤️ Want to listen without ads? Subscribe here! https://awww.supportingcast.fm more

Build your vocabulary with Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day! Each day a Merriam-Webster editor offers insight into a fascinating new word -- explaining its meaning, current use, and little-known details about its origin. more

What does the word 'meme' have to do with evolutionary biology? And why do we call it 'Spanish flu' when it was never Spanish? Science Diction is a podcast about words—and the science stories within them. If you like your language with a side of science, Science Diction has you covered. Brought to you by Science Friday and WNYC Studios. more

That's What They Say is a weekly segment on Michigan Public that explores our changing language. Each week University of Michigan English Professor Anne Curzan will discuss why we say what we say with Michigan Public All Things Considered host Rebecca Kruth. more

Whole 9 Yards is a weekly podcast that will simultaneously educate, astonish, and amuse. Listen while we share equivocal research about the origin of words, phrases, and idioms we use every day. From the team at Big Science Pods, we bring you the whole 9 yards, the entire kit and caboodle, the whole shebang of this quick, entertaining look at our language and the history therein. Learn why we call New York 'The Big Apple,' what 'red-handed' REALLY means and why sometimes people are 'happy as a clam.' So, let's cut to the chase, if you jump on the bandwagon now, the first 100 subscribers will be entered to win a Big Science Snuggie. Have a question about an idiom? Wanna drop us a line because you think we're funny... or, not? Think we're mistaken about any information we've shared? Hit us up at heyyou@whole9yards.org. We're waiting with bated breath! more

A Canadian (Ryan) and a Scot (Amy) talking about the words in the English language that fascinate them most at the moment, looking at their histories and origins and trying to piece together just how they got to where they are today.This is a podcast for anyone interested in etymology (the study of words and their origins/history). If you've ever found yourself happier after discovering some bizarre bit of trivia about a word that you hadn't even given a second thought to (such as how the word 'trivia' relates to its Latin components meaning 'three roads'), this might just be the podcast for you. more

Aven & Mark discuss etymology, history, literature, language, and cocktails, and the sometimes surprising connections between them all. more

Humorous Etymological Research Probing English Songs - A moderately researched, moderately funny chat show about popular music and language. We are a Podmoth Network podcast. more

Welcome to our whimsical adventure of idioms and other turns of phrase. Each week, we delve into the origins of phrases to find out how they came into the English language. We tell the story of how the phrase got from its beginnings to where it is today. Shauna and Dan are two big nerds, so expect some geek culture references, random trivia facts, and loads of laughs! more

Word History is a weekly 15 minute etymology podcast by Etymoleon, dedicated to uncovering the history behind words and names. Each episode unveils the journey of words and their connections to various languages such as Old English, Ancient Greek, Latin, Old French, Proto-Germanic and many more. Episodes also highlight historical events related to the topic and terms explored. Earlier episodes were just the beginning, start with later episodes for the best takes on word, name and historical origins. New episodes every Sunday. If you like etymology try Derivety, a daily word game by Etymoleon. Can you guess the word from the meaning of its origin? Play now at https://derivety.com. Get in touch with Etymoleon at https://etymoleon.com. more

The show that puts your favorite (or not so favorite) everyday expressions under a microscope and into the hot seat. Tune in as Mario and his special guests dive into the meanings and origins of common sayings, expressions, and idioms. We may introduce you to a few too! Once it's all said and done, will these sayings live up to their common usage or will they crash and burn from some investigation? Join us as we take a moment to appraise the phrase! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. more

Podcasts about languages and words

A podcast that takes a look at the origin and history of some of those gems of language, idioms, and then goes from there. more