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Quizzes : Etymology

Fun Trivia : Quizzes : Humanities : English : Etymology

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Quizzes on the origins of words and phrases.
folder Eponyms (Words from Names) (10, 1 new) folder Place Names (11)
Editors: Bruyere, agony, CellarDoor Quiz Search:
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1 trivia quiz  Neologogenesis: Words That Don't Exist, But Could icon
The words which are the subject of this quiz don't appear in any dictionary, and have never appeared in print until now. But each nevertheless has a clear meaning, dictated by etymological and other word-formation principles.
 Very Difficult 10Q
4395 plays
 May 29 02
xaosdog
2 trivia quiz  Words Derived from Falconry Terms coolicon
The ancient sport of falconry has added many words to our vocabulary. Can you recognize some of them?
 Tough 10Q
306 plays
 Feb 12 07
crisw editor
3 trivia quiz  Nerdy Words For Wordy Nerds coolicon
After a tough day of train spotting, sucking seer and biting the heads off of chickens, it might be nice to settle down, hang up your anorak and play with words.
 Difficult 10Q
894 plays
 Sep 04 07
uglybird editor
4 trivia quiz  Where Everyday Phrases Come From coolicon
We use these in our everyday speech. See if you can identify their origins.
 Difficult 10Q
891 plays
 Sep 10 07
simjazzbeer
5 trivia quiz  Goat Words coolicon
A surprising number of English words and phrases are derived from words having to do with goats. How many do you know?
 Difficult 20Q
1203 plays
 Jan 04 02
crisw editor
6 trivia quiz  'Body Language' coolicon
Tests your knowledge of words etymologically derived from anatomical roots. xaosdog (xaosdog.com) attests that each word appearing in this quiz has been accepted as a legitimate English word by at least one major dictionary AND one minor dictionary.
 Tough 10Q
1461 plays
 Nov 21 01
xaosdog
7 trivia quiz  Daffy Derivations coolicon
The English language contains an abundant supply of words that communicate impaired sanity or intellect. Can you connect some of these "dotty" words to their origins? I'll supply information regarding origin and usage, and you can guess the word.
 Tough 10Q
942 plays
 May 24 04
uglybird editor
8 trivia quiz  Veg-Etymology: Linguistic Roots Exposed coolicon
Sink your teeth into this succulent assemblage of herbal verbiage as we burrow into the fertile soil of the linguistic origins of vegetable names. You will find that a few hints have been planted to assist you.
 Tough 10Q
735 plays
 Nov 30 04
uglybird editor
9 trivia quiz  Interesting Origins of Food-Related Words coolicon
Everybody eats, but few people bother to think about how what they are ingesting got its name. This quiz takes a look at some delightful delectables, and how they were named.
 Difficult 15Q
726 plays
 Nov 23 04
jgiles
10 trivia quiz  Where'd it come from? coolicon
Many of the everyday words and phrases we use have interesting origins. Here a a few that may be of interest.
 Average 10Q
1026 plays
 Jan 24 08
Richicago gold
11 trivia quiz  Word Origins from Around the World coolicon
Words in common usage today derive from sources the world over. Do you know which words come from the source word with which I will provide you? Good luck - all is not as it appears!
 Very Difficult 10Q
1077 plays
 Dec 02 06
alliefarrell
12 trivia quiz  Word and name origins icon
Many words and names have pretty banal origins, hopefully here are some that will make you say 'Oh really?'. There is a slightly anatomical bias to many of the questions. British based.
 Very Difficult 10Q
672 plays
 Jul 10 07
satguru editor
13 trivia quiz  An Etymological Smorgasbord icon
Are you a word lover? Here are a diverse group of questions relating to word origins.
 Difficult 10Q
906 plays
 Jun 01 04
uglybird editor
14 trivia quiz  The Quirkiness of the English Language icon
The English language is a hotchpotch of foreign words. This quiz is about the origin of words in everyday English usage.
 Tough 15Q
1026 plays
 Jan 24 04
sunfloweruk23
15 trivia quiz  Odd One Out icon
In this quiz three of four options concern words that are etymologically related via Latin or Greek. Find the one that is not.- Questions may include AE orthography.
 Tough 10Q
1230 plays
 Sep 19 02
Flem-ish
16 trivia quiz  Phrases, Myths and Ancient History icon
Myths have made their way into our language in so many ways. The following involve some common idioms which relate to myths and a little bit of history...
 Difficult 10Q
891 plays
 Feb 02 04
alkmene
17 trivia quiz  "Alfresco" English: Words From The Out of Doors icon
Foreign words ("foreign" originating from the Latin "foris", meaning "out of doors") are generally welcomed warmly into the English language. This quiz will test your knowledge of some of our adopted words.
 Average 10Q
636 plays
 Jun 10 04
uglybird editor
18 trivia quiz  Where Did That Word Come From? icon
Most English words come from Latin or 'Old English'. Here are some that don't. But where DID they come from?
 Average 15Q
1116 plays
 Apr 26 03
Baloo55th gold
19 trivia quiz  Etymological Tidbits icon
By looking at faces you often recognize family features. Something similar is true about words. Try your luck.
 Average 10Q
1836 plays
 Sep 21 02
Flem-ish
20 trivia quiz  Word Origins icon
Etymology is like linguistic archeology. You dig into words and you discover earlier forms, meanings, etc. Have a try with these - occasionally surprising - word origins.
 Tough 10Q
2373 plays
 Sep 02 02
Flem-ish
21 trivia quiz  And Now, a Few Words From Our Guild icon
Welcome to Guilder's World of Words, where you can find all kinds of words to suit all your vocabulary needs! We have some wonderful specials here at the World of Words. This week's specials are:
 Tough 10Q
300 plays
 Jun 30 06
ertrum editor
22 trivia quiz  Ancient Word Origins
Understanding the word origins may give us a better and deeper insight of the terms we use daily.
 Average 10Q
2106 plays
 Sep 02 02
thejazzkickazz gold
23 trivia quiz  Origins Of First Names icon
Many English names happen to be foreign names in disguise. This quiz deals with the meaning and origins of names that were borrowed from Hebrew, Latin, Greek, Scandinavian and a few other languages.
 Difficult 10Q
735 plays
 Jan 21 04
flem-ish
24 trivia quiz  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.
 Tough 10Q
633 plays
 Nov 22 01
flem-ish
25 trivia quiz  Son of Origins of Words and Phrases icon
More strange origins of familiar words and phrases.
 Difficult 10Q
1632 plays
 May 23 00
vendome
26 trivia quiz  What 's In A Word ? icon
There often is more in a word or name than meets the eye. Understanding the background and origin of a word helps us to know what we are talking about. Have a try.
 Difficult 10Q
816 plays
 Apr 18 02
flem-ish
27 trivia quiz  Word Links icon
We often are blind to the historic links there are between words. This quiz points out some such 'unexpected' relations between words.
 Average 10Q
906 plays
 Mar 28 02
flem-ish
28 trivia quiz  Word Origins icon
This is a quiz about some obscure origins of words in the English language. Enjoy!
 Tough 10Q
636 plays
 Apr 01 03
fuadj
29 trivia quiz  Word origins icon
Find the modern English words from the description of their origins.
 Average 10Q
405 plays
 Feb 17 07
meshkenet
30 trivia quiz  True Word Origins icon
Have you ever wondered where some words originated? Here are ten possible sources for useful words in the English language...enjoy!
 Tough 10Q
1188 plays
 Dec 31 01
thejazzkickazz gold
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Some sample questions from this category:

* Italian 'carne' (meat) and 'levare' (to remove) are the roots of:
* Femto-, a prefix denoting ten to the negative fifteenth power, comes from Danish or Norwegian 'femten', which means:
* What group uses verbs, nouns, adjectives, and interjections rooted in the ethnic name of the group?
* 'Gnat' is ultimately related to Old English 'gnagen', meaning what?
* 'Algebra' comes from the Arabic 'al jabara', meaning:
* Nahuatl 'ahuacatl'(avocado) and 'molli' (sauce) combine to form:
* 'Robot' comes from Czech 'robota', meaning:
* 'Cobalt' comes from German 'Kobalt', which is a dialectical variation of a word meaning:
* 'Cochlea' is derived from Greek 'kochlos', meaning:
* Which does not mean ten?
* This word derived from the capturing of Slavic people in Eastern Europe by Germanic tribes. What's the word?
* This word comes from the Persian phrase 'Shah Mat.' Do you know the word?
* This phrase originally came from the theater and served as a cast instruction. What is it?
* This word somes from the Dutch 'vrijbuiter', a term applied to pirates in the Caribbean in the 16th century. Its French and Spanish equivalents were applied to revolutionaries. By the 18th century, its current meaning was adopted. The word is ?
* The phrase, 'the full Monty', came from England and is used to mean 'the whole thing.' From where did it originate?
* This comes from the French, 'catdoupe' literally meaning 'waterfall'. It was first used by Jonathan Swift in 'Polite Conversations,' in 1708. What is it?
* This word started as an acronym in England and is a slang term for a policeman, and also has roots in the French verb, 'to take.' Which is it?
* This word comes from the French phrase meaning 'to cover the fire,' and is associated with the ringing of a bell in medieval times. What's the word?
* This term for liquor came into popular usage from a Philadelphia distiller, but was really derived from a Middle Dutch verb, dating back to 1590. Hic! What's the word?
* This term for U.S. currency dates back to the 1500s, in the Czech Republic, no less! It has as is root the Germanic 'Joachimstaler.' Vat is de verd?

This is category 4567

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