Library›Where Words Come From›One card

A LITTLE SOMETHING WORTH KNOWING

A small discovery. Yours to pass on.

Language & WordsOne small ahaWord

The word “Muscle” comes from, or was formed in, this language.

Think it. Then flip it. ahamoraTap to reveal Back to the cue
Language & WordsOne small aha
Your new ahaLatin

Muscle derives from the Latin word for little mouse, inspired by the movement beneath the skin. Source: Wiktionary: muscle ↗

ahamoraReference ↗

Keep the thread going

One answer is a beginning.

Share a little curiosity, or follow it into the full collection.

Flip the full deck →

More from Where Words Come From

A few more worth knowing.

  1. 29This word literally means bad star, reflecting an old belief in blaming misfortune on the stars.RECALL
    Disaster

    Disaster literally means bad star, reflecting an old belief in blaming misfortune on the stars.

    Open this card ↗
  2. 30The word “Disaster” comes from, or was formed in, this language.RECALL
    Italian and Latin

    Disaster literally means bad star, reflecting an old belief in blaming misfortune on the stars.

    Open this card ↗
  3. 31This word comes from the Italian phrase for forty days, the length of an early isolation period.RECALL
    Quarantine

    Quarantine comes from the Italian phrase for forty days, the length of an early isolation period.

    Open this card ↗