Word Origins That Will Surprise You

Ralph Keyes is a prolific author who has published 17 books, including "The Courage to Write."

In this interview, we talked about his book "The History of Coined Words" and the origin of:

• "Scientist"
• "Impressionist"
• "Beaknik"
• "Paradigm"
• "Mugwumps"

We also discussed the prolific word coiners John Milton (e.g., "advantage,” “complacency,” “damp," “dismissive,” “fragrance," “jubilant,” “obtrusive,” and “terrific”) and Charles Dickens (e.g., "careless," "peniless," “unchangeable,” “unapproachable,” “unholy,” and "arrival").

You can listen to the interview using the player at the top of this page, or you can read a complete rough transcript.

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips