Okay, you’re approaching Darwin saturation, I know. But how about Darwin’s impact on the English language? The Oxford English Dictionary credits him with the first use of 144 words. Did you know Darwin was the first person to use the word alfalfa in English? Or rodeo? Check out this post from my brother Ben for more. And be sure to read to the end to catch the most surprising neologism of all.
About The Loom
Carl Zimmer writes about science regularly for the New York Times and magazines such as Discover, where he is a contributing editor and columnist.
He is the author of seven books, the most recent of which is The Tangled Bank: An Introduction To Evolution. His website is carlzimmer.com and his address is [ blog at carlzimmer dot com ].
Recent PostsScience Tattoo Emporium
I once wondered aloud if scientists had tattoos of their science. The answer was yes, and this ever-growing collection is the evidence. If you want to share your own scientific ink, send it to me with some explanation.
Books by Carl Zimmer
- DISCOVERmagazine: Living World
- DISCOVER Blogs: Bad Astronomy
My Books
February 12th, 2009 at 8:06 am
Looking forward to hearing you in a few hours at Raleigh. Now, for those of us who are not electro-whizzes, how in the heck do you sign up for this blog? I’ve looked and looked with no success. The reason that my usual sign-up pops up is that I get Phil Plait’s stuff. This is one of the general failings, in my opinion, of what is taking place in technology today, ignoring the needs and comprehension levels of those of us who have very successful careers and lives in non-technical fields (or other than in science and computers), apparently with the assumption that we all Twitter and Flitter. I wrote three books on my field and I always tried to assume that the layperson needed handholding (without condescension)but could follow technical information if just given a few keys. So, sign me up, please!
February 12th, 2009 at 8:23 am
I had no idea that Ben was your brother. You are both Facebook friends, but from different directions.
Also, he’s probably more intelligent; got into ‘communicatios`and all that stuff, and you’re still stuck in bilge.
February 12th, 2009 at 11:26 am
Wow, that’s cool. Only one question: what was alfalfa called before him?
February 12th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
[...] Darwin, Wordmeister | The Loom | Discover Magazine Okay, you’re approaching Darwin saturation, I know. But how about Darwin’s impact on the English language? The Oxford English Dictionary credits him with the first use of 144 words. Did you know Darwin was the first person to use the word alfalfa in English? Or rodeo? Check out this post from my brother Ben for more. And be sure to read to the end to catch the most surprising neologism of all. [...]
February 12th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
[...] Darwin, Wordmeister | The Loom | Discover Magazine Okay, you’re approaching Darwin saturation, I know. But how about Darwin’s impact on the English language? The Oxford English Dictionary credits him with the first use of 144 words. Did you know Darwin was the first person to use the word alfalfa in English? Or rodeo? Check out this post from my brother Ben for more. And be sure to read to the end to catch the most surprising neologism of all. [...]
February 13th, 2009 at 12:39 am
That’s quite interesting. Never knew that. Also I saw your talk today in Raleigh. Personally I was shocked to see so many interested in a talk about Darwin and evolution. I loved the talk. I can’t wait for the other talks over the year.
February 14th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
‘Nutate’ – etymology must be shared with Nutella as I rock, sway, or nod; usually involuntarily, after eating it.
March 13th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
[...] Como Ben nota, “quem diria que Darwin foi também um pioneiro na evolução das palavras?” [via blog do irmão do Ben Zimmer] Tags: darwin, etimologia, [...]