The word ‘acorn’ didn’t originally mean oak nut. It once referred to any wild field fruit. This post explores its journey through Old English, folk etymology, and dozens of translations — from ‘gland’ and ‘ghianda’ to ‘balut’ and ‘eikel’.

From French ‘mousseron’ to Latin ‘fungus’, Dutch ‘toads’ chairs’, Spanish ‘setas’, and Danish ‘beech hats’, discover how Europe names the mushroom.

The Danish word gård links to English ‘yard’ and ‘garden’. From ancient enclosures to modern courtyards and kindergartens, discover how one root shaped European words and everyday places.

A tart hedgerow fruit with ancient Syrian roots — English pared it down to ‘damson’, but other languages kept the plum and the city in view.

Explore the etymology and history of ‘hedgerow’, from Old English hecg (‘hedge, enclosure’) and ræw (‘line, succession’) to Bronze Age fields, Saxon charters, medieval quicksets, and the Enclosure Acts. With modern dialect forms and parallels across Europe.

Across Europe the horse chestnut is named plainly, but English alone has ‘conker’. First used for snail shells in the 1840s, the word shifted to chestnuts, from ‘conquer’.

The English name ‘horse chestnut’ is a 16th-century translation of Turkish ‘at kestanesi’, meaning ‘the horse’s chestnut’. From Ottoman horse doctors to autumn conkers, explore its story.

Explore the history of ‘harvest’, once the English word for autumn. From Old English ‘hærfest’ and German ‘Herbst’ to Italian ‘raccolto’, Spanish ‘cosecha’, Welsh ‘cynhaeaf’ and Europe’s harvest festivals, discover how languages reflect the season of gathering.

The word ‘bramble’ comes from Old English ‘bremel’, meaning thornbush. Discover its Germanic roots in Dutch ‘braam’ and German ‘Brombeere’, with parallels in French ‘ronce’, Italian ‘rovo’, Spanish ‘zarza’, Celtic ‘sméar’, and Greek ‘βάτος’.

Freshly picked blackberries in early August tell a simple story in English — a black berry — but the word’s roots run deep. Across Europe, languages link the fruit to brambles, bears, or mulberries. Discover the etymology of ‘blackberry’ from Old English blæcberie to Latin morum and beyond.

Discover the history of the season’s names — from Old English ‘hærfest’ and ‘hærfestmonað’ through Latin ‘autumnus’ to the English ‘fall of the leaf’. Learn how harvest, autumn, and fall each reflect different traditions.

Where does the word ‘September’ come from? From Latin ‘septem’ meaning ‘seven’, the name once marked the seventh month of Rome’s calendar. In Old English it was the holy month or harvest month, and in Norse tradition the autumn month — each pointing to September as a time of reaping, rites and new beginnings.

Where does the word ‘sage’ come from? From Latin ‘salvia’ meaning ‘healing plant’, the name travelled through French into English, and has since appeared across dozens of languages — each with its own take on this resilient herb.

The word ‘soup’ traces its roots to Late Latin ‘suppa’ meaning ‘bread soaked in broth’, passing through Old French before entering English.

Explore the etymology of ‘tent’—a word shaped by Latin and Germanic roots, with links to medieval shelters and silk tents spun by caterpillars.

Where does the word pebble come from? This post digs into its uncertain origins and links it with galet, the French word for smooth stone — and a sweet treat in Brittany.

Where do ‘rock’ and ‘rocher’ come from? This post unpacks the etymology of a word we treat as solid — but whose linguistic trail is full of twists. With images, word cards and modern links to French patisserie.

Discover the history of the word ‘gâteau’, from medieval French ‘gastel’ — a high-quality bread — to the elaborate layered cake we know today. Explore its roots in Frankish and Latin, its links to Anglo-Norman ‘wastel’, and the shift from bread to dessert through changes in baking traditions and ingredients.

Discover the history of the word ‘gâteau’, from medieval French ‘gastel’ — a high-quality bread — to the elaborate layered cake we know today. Explore its roots in Frankish and Latin, its links to Anglo-Norman ‘wastel’, and the shift from bread to dessert through changes in baking traditions and ingredients.

Explore the word ‘biscuit’: from Latin ‘bis’ (twice) and ‘coquere’ (to cook), through Old French and into modern English. A word that’s travelled through languages, continents and baking traditions — now unpacked in our latest word card set, including spelling tips, morphology, and European translations.