Category Archives: Word of the Week

Melons are defined as typically sweet gourds usually eaten raw as fruits. First used in the 14th century, the word melon derives from the Latin word melopepo. The word melopepo derives the ancient Greek word μηλοπέπων (mēlopepōn), which can be broken down into μῆλον (mēlo) and πέπων (pepōn) or gourd and apple, respectively. Pepōn alsoContinue reading “Word of the Week: Melon”

Bergamot is a round to pear-shaped citrus fruit of a Mediterranean tree that has a yellow to green rind which yields a bitter fragrant essential oil and that is typically considered to be a hybrid of a sour orange and a lemon. First used in the early 1600’s, the English term bergamot comes from theContinue reading “Word of the Week: Bergamot”

The number googol is a noun and defined as the figure 1 followed by 100 zeros equal to 10100. First used in 1920, the term was thought of by the 9-year old nephew of famous mathematician Edward Kasner. The term became popularized in the 1940s when Kasner published his book Mathematics and the Imagination.  AContinue reading “Word of the Week: Googol”

The word million is a noun and defined as a number equal to 1,000 times 1,000. First used around the 14 century, the word million comes from the Old Italian word “milione” or great thousand, which comes from the Latin word for thousand “mille.” There was no number for million in the Greek or RomanContinue reading “Word of the Week: Million”

The word thousand is a noun and defined as a number equal to 10 times 100. First used before the 12th century, the word thousand derives from the Old English word thūsend, which is related to the German word Tausend. The original Roman numeral for thousand is “M”. The Hindu–Arabic numeral system was invented byContinue reading “Word of the Week: Thousand”

The word hundred is a noun and defined as a number equal to 10 times 10. First used before the 12 century, the word hundred is made up of the Old English word hund- and the Goth word -red or rathjo meaning account or number. The original Roman numeral for hundred is “C”. The Hindu–ArabicContinue reading “Word of the Week: Hundred”

The number ten is defined as a number that is one more than nine. The word ten was first used around the 12th century and derives from the Old English tēn, which has its roots in the Sanskrit word daśa and the Latin word decem. In Roman numerals the letter X represents the number 10.Continue reading “Word of the Week: Ten”

The number five is defined as a number that is one more than four. First used in the 14th century, the number five derives from the Old English word fīf. The number five has gained cultural significance due to the human hand having 5 digits.  In Roman numerals the number 5 is represented as aContinue reading “Word of the Week: Five”

The number one is a noun and defined as the first whole number above zero; however, the word one can also be used as an adjective or pronoun. The number one was first used around the 12th century, this word derives from the English word an, and the word an is derived from the Proto-Indo-EuropeanContinue reading “Word of the Week: One”

Zero is a noun and is defined as the arithmetical symbol 0 denoting the absence of all magnitude or quantity or the number between the set of all negative numbers and the set of all positive numbers. First used in 1598, the word zero derives from Italian zero, which traces back to Latin zephirum andContinue reading “Word of the Week: Zero”