May TOP TWENTY

P-words seemed to prevail last month, as news stories about bird flu brought pandemic back onto the list, after its one-month absence, and another p-word, plethora, always a favorite with dictionary users, also reappeared. At the same time, i-words seemed imperiled, as inept and insipid, regulars on the list for most of the past year, slipped off.

And the mysterious aloof stayed on the list at Number 16. See May's full list and some of the explanations you offered for the rise of aloof on the list.

Words in the News: amnesty

Immigration was in the news quite a lot last month. Following President Bush's address on the subject, a controversy developed about what is and isn't amnesty, and while the debate went on, amnesty appeared high among the most frequently looked-up words.

Amnesty gets good coverage in both the Collegiate Encyclopedia and the Unabridged Dictionary. Learn more.

Looking Back: 1963

June 26th marks the 43rd anniversary of President Kennedy's famous 1963 "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech, delivered in Berlin in the midst of the Cold War. An urban legend has grown up about this speech, which we are happy to dispel. In addition, 1963 saw the introduction of a host of new words to the language, and we offer a partial list.

In Case You Were Wondering

Although it didn't make the Top 20, trifecta was frequently looked up in May. Odds are, interest was piqued by the horse racing season's triple-header: the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes. In case you were wondering, trifecta, perfecta, and quiniela add up to a threesome of terms that are basic to placing bets on the ponies.

Notable and Quotable

June 25 marks the 103rd birth anniversary of author George Orwell (born Eric Blair). Orwell lived less than half a century, but his words live on in his novels (1984 and Animal Farm) and also in the dictionary. See a a sampling of the quotations that appear in the Unabridged Dictionary.

For a list of all thirty-two, select the Unabridged as your reference source, click on Advanced Search, and type Orwell into the Author field, and click on Search.

Just Foolin’ Around

The season of graduation and commencement sent plenty of folks looking up the terms alma mater and baccalaureate last month, and it reminded us of how very many of our education terms have an etymological link to Latin.

Here are a few favorites, together with the translation of the word's Latin ancestor. For a full list, chose the Unabridged as your reference, click on Advanced Search, type "school" in the Definition box and "Latin" in the Etymology field, then click Search.

From the Mail Server

Editors recently fielded questions about what makes a garden a truck garden, about how snuck sneaked into the dictionary, and about the meaning of the word brokeback.

Language Links

Even the greenest thumbed gardeners may not know the botanical names of their favorite growing things. The Linnaean Plant Name Typification Project has been working to promote "nomenclatural stability . . . by establishing clear typifications . . . for each Linnaean plant name" and a little playing at that website yields a fine crop of data.

Want something a little less complicated? Try digging into the roots of botanical names.

Is sending flowers to a loved one more your level of gardening? Then you might be curious about what that bouquet of flowers signifies. Forget "friendship" versus "true love"; would you believe "stupidity; thoughtfulness" and "welcome to a stranger"?