“Practice your English” Forum

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

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

Nosūtīja Marieke OLS Community Manager
Atbilžu skaits: 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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Atbildot uz Marieke OLS Community Manager

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

Nosūtīja 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"
Atbildot uz water melon

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

Nosūtīja 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 :-)
Atbildot uz Marieke OLS Community Manager

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

Nosūtīja 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!