| 31 | Placenames in Britain
With just a little bit of basic background knowledge, the placenames on a map of Britain become suddenly so transparent. This quiz invites you to decode some of the more common 'etymologies'.
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Tough | 152 | Feb 05 02 | flem-ish
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| 32 | Surprising Words and Word-Origins
If you take a second look at a word you often are in for a surprising link with another one. See if you can find the 'hidden origins' of some common and less common English words.
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Tough | 140 | Nov 22 01 | flem-ish
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| 33 | Origins Of American Placenames
In a "young country" like the U.S.A., the names of towns and regions are often etymologically very transparent, yet there are quite a few "surprises". Just check some here.
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Difficult | 98 | Aug 11 02 | Flem-ish
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| 34 | True Word Origins
Have you ever wondered where some words originated? Here are ten possible sources for useful words in the English language...enjoy!
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Tough | 300 | Dec 31 01 | thejazzkickazz
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| 35 | Word Links
We often are blind to the historic links there are between words. This quiz points out some such 'unexpected' relations between words.
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Average | 216 | Mar 28 02 | flem-ish
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| 36 | More British Placenames
Part of British history can be found back in the many Latin, Welsh, Old Norse and Gaelic placenames that complete the Anglo-Saxon picture a map of Britain offers. Finding out what a placename means is often easier than you might think. Just have a try.
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Tough | 133 | Feb 05 02 | flem-ish
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| 37 | Word Origins From History
Here are some questions about word origins that derive from History.
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Tough | 1059 | Sep 25 00 | robert362
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| 38 | Webster's Dictionary & Other Eponymous Terms
Noah Webster published his opus "An American Dictionary of the English Language" in 1828. His name has been synonymous (or even eponymous) with dictionaries every since. Dictionaries are also havens for other eponyms, which are featured in the quiz.
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Average | 218 | Sep 09 02 | hitachi
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| 39 | Word Origins From Mythology
Some mythical characters have worked their way into everyday language
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Average | 630 | Feb 26 01 | robert362
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| 40 | Words ... words ... words
The origins of words are often hotly debated. In this quiz most of the word-origins are generally accepted by the current etymologists. Try an educated guess?
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Very Hard | 224 | Apr 15 02 | flem-ish
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| 41 | Greek and Latin in English
Greek and Latin have influenced the whole Western civilisation, especially in the fields of science and learning. See how well versed you are in that type of vocabulary.
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Tough | 146 | Sep 06 03 | Flem-ish
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| 42 | Word Histories
Words keep changing. In strange ways they may get new forms and/or new meanings.See if you can identify the correct "links".
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Average | 163 | Sep 18 03 | Flem-ish
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| 43 | Word Families
When learning a language, it matters that one recognizes related words. Sometimes appearances are deceptive. See which of the 4 words is "the unrelated outsider".
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Tough | 189 | Sep 20 02 | Flem-ish
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| 44 | Words With A Story
There are so many words we use frequently without noticing there is some kind of story linked to them. See if you can link these with their supposed origin, meaning etc.
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Tough | 201 | Nov 23 01 | flem-ish
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| 45 | Understanding English Placenames
Why not try an educated guess at the meaning of some English placenames. Test your sixth sense for language..and history!
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Very Hard | 89 | Jan 12 04 | flem-ish
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| 46 | Interesting Word Origins
See if you cannot decipher the origins of these fascinating words of the English language...good luck!
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Difficult | 140 | Oct 26 01 | thejazzkickazz
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| 47 | Etymology - Words and Myths
Each question relates to an English word we use often in speech and writing - but all have a story behind them. What is the provenance or origin of each of the following words, concepts and phrases...?
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Average | 146 | Dec 08 03 | alkmene
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| 48 | X-raying Words
In a word there often is more than meets the eye. The better we see what is "under the skin" of words, the more efficiently we can handle them. So here is another quiz on "word-archeology".
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Tough | 145 | Sep 24 03 | Flem-ish
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| 49 | Origins of Days and Months
Answer is the day or month named after the figure described. Most are multiple choice. All names used are the English version.
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Average | 181 | Mar 23 04 | steffybee3
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| 50 | Origins of Some English Words
Here are questions on the origins of some English words.
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Tough | 179 | Oct 05 00 | chessart
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| 51 | Hidden Meanings
Words often hide meanings they no longer have. Just see how good a linguistic sleuth you are.
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Tough | 207 | Aug 26 03 | Flem-ish
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| 52 | Words Tell Stories
Turkeys were thought to come from Turkey ,copper was orginally found on Cyprus, and denim was first imported from Nimes in France.('de Nimes'= from Nimes). We are daily using words we don't know the origins of anymore. May be this quiz might help?
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Difficult | 217 | Apr 20 01 | chrissie_26
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| 53 | Hand me a Kleenex
Many words we use everyday are actually proper nouns that have become part of the vernacular. These are called eponyms. This quiz features "proprietary eponyms" meaning they all came from trademarked products. Some of these trademarks are now obsolete
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Average | 266 | Aug 29 02 | hitachi
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| 54 | Word and Phrase Origins
Etymology is the study of word and phrase origins. Popular misconceptions about the origin of words and phrases abound. This quiz tries to clear up some of these errors. I hope you either do well, or enjoy learning something about our rich language.
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Tough | 116 | Feb 10 04 | Pookiepay
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| 55 | Month Origins
This quiz is on where the names of months came from.
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Easy | 339 | Apr 18 02 | napierslogs
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| 56 | The English Language Sources: Hebrew
English is one of the newest languages spoken today. Hebrew is the oldest still spoken tongue. But there are still some connections. Care to find a few?
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Tough | 92 | Jan 14 04 | Arpeggionist
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| 57 | Fun with Etymology
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Tough | 281 | May 11 00 | maggie99
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| 58 | Surprising Links
How did MUSTARD get the name it has? Because originally it was made with MUST or young wine rather than with vinegar. Similar 'links' in this quiz.-You get hints about the length of the word , and its first and last letter.
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Average | 325 | May 18 01 | chrissie_26
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| 59 | English Place Names
A quiz on how British place names originated.
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Difficult | 101 | Jan 08 02 | lupin
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| 60 | Latin Origins
In my Latin class, we spend a lot of time on what English words come from specific Latin words. I love this. So this is a quiz for all other etymology lovers out there. Enjoy!
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Difficult | 74 | Apr 27 05 | rgdsmile
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