language myths

The Word “News” Does Not Derive from the Four Cardinal Directions (North, East, West, South)

January 26, 2012 Scott

Myth: the word “news” derives from the four cardinal directions. While this potential origin of the word news seems plausible enough, it isn’t true. The truth is, the word news can be traced back to late Middle English around the 14th century as a plural for the adjective “new” or “new thing”. This is a somewhat rare instance of an […]

When Adding a Second “PS” at the End of a Letter, It’s “PPS”, Not “PSS”

August 31, 2010 Daven Hiskey

This, of course, is because “PS” stands for “postscript”. This comes from the Latin “post scriptum” (sometimes written “postscriptum”), which translates to “written after”, or more to the point, “what comes after the writing”. Thus, PSS would mean “postscript script”, which doesn’t really make sense in this context. Rather, the correct way to write this abbreviation is “PPS” for “post-postscript” […]