Born usually relates to birth. Borne is used for carrying, supporting, or enduring. Here is how to choose the right form.

Kangaroo entered English from Guugu Yimidhirr in 1770. The popular claim that it meant “I don’t know” is widely rejected.

Some English verbs were created by removing a real or imagined ending from an older noun, as in editor to edit and burglar to burgle.

This old English idiom compares a tiny molehill with a huge mountain to show how people can greatly exaggerate small problems.

“Taboo” entered English from Tongan “tapu,” a word meaning forbidden, sacred, or set apart, with relatives across Polynesian languages.