35个英语冷知识(趣味英语冷知识)

As
an AI language model, I can provide 35 interesting and fun facts that you might not have known about the English language. From surprising word origins to quirky grammar rules, there's always something new to learn about this fascinating language.
1. "Goodbye" comes from "God be with ye" Etymologists believe that "goodbye" is an abbreviated form of "God be with ye," a farewell greeting popular in medieval England. Over time, it evolved into the word we use today.
2. "Oxymoron" means "sharp dull" Despite being a great example of an oxymoron, the word "oxymoron" has an unexpected meaning. It comes from the Greek words "oxys," meaning sharp or keen, and "moros," meaning dull or foolish.
3. English has the largest vocabulary of any language With over 170,000 words in current use and countless more obsolete or slang terms, English has the largest vocabulary of any language in the world.
4. The word "quiz" was invented by a Dublin theater owner In the 18th century, theater owner Richard Daly bet a friend that he could invent a new word that would become widely known within 24 hours. He posted signs around the city advertising a "quiz" for the next day, and the rest is history.
5. There are only two words in English that end in "-gry" Despite what some online puzzles might suggest, there are only two words in the English language that end in "-gry": "angry" and "hungry."
6. "Aren't" was originally a contraction of "am not" Although it's now used as a contraction for "are not," "aren't" actually comes from "am not," as in "I aren't going to the store." The usage of "an't" as a contraction for "am not" is also found in early English texts.
7. The longest palindromic word in English is "deified" Palindrome enthusiasts will appreciate knowing that "deified," meaning to be made divine, is the longest palindromic word in the English language.
8. "Coffin" comes from Greek for "basket" The word "coffin" originally referred to a basket or chest, deriving from the Greek "koffinon."
9. "Easel" comes from Dutch for "donkey" The word "easel" derives from the Dutch word "ezel," meaning donkey, as early painting easels were shaped like the animal.
10 Shakespeare invented over 1,700 words Words such as "bedazzled," "eyeball," and "uncomfortable" were all coined by Shakespeare, who introduced over 1,700 new words and expressions to the English language. 1
1. "Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia" is the fear of long words Ironically, the word for the fear of long words is itself a long one: "Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia." 1
2. "Semordnilap" is "palindromes" spelled backward "Semordnilap" refers to words that spell another word when spelled backward, such as "stressed" and "desserts." 1
3. "Bimonthly" can mean both "twice a month" and "every two months" Beware the ambiguity of the word "bimonthly," which can mean either "twice a month" or "every two months," depending on the context. 1
4. "Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo" is a grammatically correct sentence This sentence, using three different meanings of the word "buffalo," is grammatically correct: "Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo." 1
5. "Unfriend" was named word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries in 2009 The rise of social media led to the creation of new words, such as "unfriend," which was named word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries in 200
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6. "Nimrod" used to mean a skilled hunter Thanks to Bugs Bunny, "nimrod" is now used to mean a foolish person, but it was originally a compliment to a skilled hunter, referencing the biblical figure. 1
7. "Ghoti" can be pronounced "fish" The word "ghoti" was invented by George Bernard Shaw to demonstrate the irregularity of English spelling: "gh" pronounced like "f" in "enough," "o" pronounced like "i" in "women," and "ti" pronounced like "sh" in "nation." 1
8. "Eighth" is the longest word with a single vowel The word "eighth" is the longest English word with only one vowel, although "strengths" comes close with only one vowel sound. 1
9. "Eye" is the shortest word with two vowels The word "eye" is the shortest English word with two vowels. 20. Minnie Mouse has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame The voice actress for Minnie Mouse, Russi Taylor, was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 200
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1. "Yacht" was originally spelled "jacht" The word "yacht" originally comes from the Dutch "jacht," meaning "hunt" or "chase," as leisure boats were often used for hunting or pursuing pirates. 2
2. "Dord" was accidentally included in the dictionary as a word In 1934, the dictionary editor accidentally included "dord" as a word, which was meant to indicate that "density" should be abbreviated as "D or d." The mistake wasn't caught until a few years later. 2
3. "Almost" is the longest English word with all of its letters in alphabetical order The word "almost" is the longest English word with its letters in alphabetical order, followed by "abstemious" and "facetious." 2
4. "Quemadero" was a word for a place of execution in Spanish The word "quemadero" in Spanish refers to a place of execution, usually by burning at the stake. 2
5. "Skepticism" is spelled differently in British and American English The word "skepticism" is spelled with a "k" in British English and a "c" in American English. 2
6. There are different ways to pronounce "live" and "lead" Depending on whether they are verbs or nouns, "live" and "lead" can be pronounced differently, creating homographs: "live" or "live," and "lead" or "lead." 2
7. "Bus" is short for "omnibus" The word "bus" comes from "omnibus," a Latin word meaning "for all." Omnibuses were originally multi-horse-drawn carriages for public transport. 2
8. English is the most common language for web content Over half of all web content is in English, making it the most common language online. 2
9. "Ta" is a legitimate English word The word "ta," meaning "thank you," is a legitimate English word, in use since the 18th century. 30. "Kangaroo" originally meant "I don't understand" The word "kangaroo" is believed to have originated from an Aboriginal phrase meaning "I don't understand." 3
1. "Alphabet" comes from the Greek "alpha" and "beta" The word "alphabet" derives from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet, "alpha" and "beta." 3
2. The shortest sentence in English is "I am" At two words long, "I am" is the shortest complete sentence in the English language. 3
3. English has more than 1 million words in total While many of these words are obscure or obsolete, the Oxford English Dictionary lists over 1 million words in total. 3
4. "Squirrel" is a notoriously difficult word to pronounce Due to its strange spelling and tricky pronunciation, "squirrel" is considered one of the most difficult words to pronounce in the English language. 3
5. "Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis" is the longest word in English This tongue-twister of a word, referring to a lung disease caused by inhaling fine silica dust, is the longest word in the English language.