If you are up on your American Civil War history, you no doubt have discovered this fun tidbit of

etymological curiosity. The name we use for facial hair that grows past the ears but doesn't

join into a full beard and leaves the chin clean-shaven,

i.e. sideburns, comes from the gruff and peculiar-looking Ambrose Burnside, a Union General,

three-time governor of Rhode Island and United States Senator, a distinguished man, even if he hadn't

contributed so meaningfully to our language. But he did. And now we have that wonderful term for

that rather suspicious style, even though I had them in the 90s. All us cool kids did. But there

are a lot of etymologies that are fascinating, puzzling, amusing, or dumbfounding. For instance,

did you know that the mustache is named after the French nobleman Count Moustache de Fablet?

You did not because I made that one up.

But on today's Saturday matinee, we bring you some real etymologies that are just as improbable

or interesting from the podcast, Etymolion, a show about the history of words.

I hope you enjoy.

While you're listening, be sure to search for and follow Etymolon. We put a link in the show notes to make it easy for you.

What does connecting two devices together have to do with blue teeth? Why is it cilantro in America and coriander in Britain? And how is the dollar related

to a valley in the Czech Republic? You'll be able to answer these questions after listening

to this episode. Most of the words we use every day have hidden histories. Once you start

noticing them, it completely changes how you hear

language. That's what etymology is, tracing where words come from and how their meanings

change over time. Take the word manufacture. Today it makes you think of mass production.

Originally it meant to make by hand,

from the Latin manas meaning hand,

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