“Practice your English” Forum

Share the Story of Your Favourite Word(s) in English

Share the Story of Your Favourite Word(s) in English

by Marieke OLS Community Manager -
Number of replies: 4

Dear English community,   

With thousands of new words added to worldwide dictionaries every year and many others becoming obsolete, dictionaries seem to be a living and breathing thing. Some words are timeless, invented centuries ago, and still used today. While others come and go, much like fashion trends.  

In this discussion, I’d love to hear what words, if any, in English have a special meaning to you. Maybe it’s the first word you learned in English, or perhaps a special someone said this word to you some time. In the comment section below, I invite you to share your favorite word in English and the story about what that word means to you.   

Looking forward to hearing from you!   

Warmly, 
  

Marieke, Community Manager – English

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In reply to Marieke OLS Community Manager

Re: Share the Story of Your Favourite Word(s) in English

by water melon -
One of the words I find most interesting is "serendipity".
Serendipity /ˌsɛrənˈdɪpɪti/
Definition: A pleasant coincidence or good fortune that happens when you are not looking for it.
The word is derived from the Persian fairy tale "The Three Princes of Serendip"
In reply to water melon

Re: Share the Story of Your Favourite Word(s) in English

by Marieke OLS Community Manager -
Serendipity is indeed a really beautiful and interesting word. I didn't know it was derived from a Persian fairytale. Thank you for sharing! It's always nice to hear a new language fact :-)
In reply to Marieke OLS Community Manager

Re: Share the Story of Your Favourite Word(s) in English

by Nhat Quynh Dao Kha -
It's not my favourite word, but the word that makes me impressed. It's Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious from the Mary Popins movie.
And yet today I know that isn't a real word!
In reply to Nhat Quynh Dao Kha

Re: Share the Story of Your Favourite Word(s) in English

by Marieke OLS Community Manager -
Haha, that is indeed one fantastic invented word in English. I also loved Mary Poppins when I was younger :-) Thanks for sharing!