Depending on how you count, more than 60% of modern English words derive from Latin and Greek. But comparatively few of these words retain the spelling from about 3,000 years ago, when ancient Romans wrote, read, and spoke in Latin. 

These intact Latin words (meaning they’re spelled the same as the originals) are lurking everywhere, although some are more obvious than others.

Many abbreviations conceal intact Latin. We awaken in the a.m., the ante meridiem, which translates to “before noon,” and go to sleep in the p.m., post meridiem, corresponding to “after noon.” We use shorthand terms such as “i.e.” (id est, Latin meaning “that is”) and “e.g.” (Latin for exempli gratia, meaning “for example”). “Etc.” is an abbreviation for et cetera, meaning “and others.” “A.D.” means anno domini, “year of our Lord,” with reference to the birth of Jesus.

We sometimes refer to dates as circa, “approximately,” or draft a CV, curriculum vitae, which translates to “course of life.” Academic references also are chock-full of Latin abbreviations, such as “ibid.,” short for ibidem (“in the same place”); “id.,” from idem (“the same”); “op. cit.,” which abbreviates opere citato (“the work cited”); and “sic” (“thus”).

Lawyers and judges use intact Latin, too. The “v” in Montague v. Capulet is versus, meaning “against,” seen in another form in vice versa, “the other way around.” During divorce proceedings, a guardian for children is sometimes appointed ad litem, which means “until a final judgment.” Some briefs submitted to the court are from amicus curiae, “friends of the court,” and someone caught in the act is in pari delicto. When lawyers work for free, they do so pro bono. A person representing themself in court is pro se. And when lawyers have no argument on the merits of the case, they might (improperly) make ad hominem attacks on their opponents. 

Our daily vocabulary is also full of intact Latin. Of particular interest is comparing the original Latin meaning with our modern English usage — they’re always related, but typically with a twist.

Acumen

Latin: A point, sting

Modern: A sharp intellect

Alibi

Latin: Elsewhere

Modern: Where a criminal defendant alleges he or she was at the relevant time

Arena 

Latin: Sand, required to soak up the blood in the Roman Colosseum, after sanguinary gladiatorial battles

Modern: A place for entertainment and sporting events

Bonus 

Latin: Something good

Modern: A payment beyond a normal paycheck; a reward for good performance

Formula 

Latin: Contract

Modern: A math rule or list of ingredients

Forum

Latin: Marketplace

Modern: A place or an event to exchange ideas

Raptor

Latin: Robber

Modern: A carnivorous bird that hunts prey and robs nests

Trivia 

Latin: Where three roads meet

Modern: A good place for people to gather for gossip

Video

Latin: I see

Modern: A piece of media that you watch

Despite what singer Alanis Morissette told us, rain on your wedding day isn’t actually ironic — it’s simply a coincidence. Although used interchangeably by countless English speakers, coincidence and irony are distinct concepts with different meanings.

Take those viral videos where both partners propose at the same time. Many viewers call the moment “ironic,” but in fact, it’s a coincidence — an unexpected overlap — and not an example of irony. A coincidence occurs when two or more unlikely events happen simultaneously by chance, yet they seem to have some connection. For example, discovering that you and your neighbor share the same birthday is a coincidence. Or when you’re thinking of a song and it starts playing on the radio minutes later — that’s also a coincidence.

Coincidence is frequently confused with situational irony, which involves an outcome that is very different from what one would logically expect. There’s a layer of unmet expectations or a reversal of intentions. Consider this real-life example: During a particularly snowy winter in my hometown, the roof of a roofing company collapsed under the weight of snow — textbook situational irony. Other examples include a fire station catching fire or a tailor wearing an ill-fitted suit.

That said, Merriam-Webster notes the word “ironic” has long been applied to curious or coincidental events. While some grammarians argue against this usage, modern dictionaries now acknowledge it as an evolving example of the rhetorical device. However, if you’re aiming for precision, knowing the difference is key: If the outcome defies expectations by proving the opposite, it may be an ironic twist. But if it’s merely an unlikely overlap, it’s just a coincidence.

English is full of surprises, as illustrated by the word “awful” — its origin implied something grand, but it evolved to signify something terrible. If you look at the composition of the word, you find the noun “awe” and the suffix “-ful,” giving us “full of awe.” So how did the adjective come to describe something bad?

To understand, we have to go back to the root of “awe.” In Middle English, “awe” (spelled “aue” or earlier, “aghe”) meant “fear, terror, and great reverence,” the kind you might feel in the presence of something overwhelmingly powerful. It was derived from the Old Norse “agi,” meaning “fright.” At the time, this feeling of veneration was most often associated with a king or a god. It wasn’t necessarily negative, but it was humbling. During the Middle Ages, “awful” (also spelled “aghful”) originally meant something akin to “awe-inspiring” — powerful, majestic, or even terrifying in its greatness.

Today, the word “awe” on its own has a connotation more of wonderment or even pride (“I’m in awe of my brother’s skill”) than fear, but in the evolution of “awful,” the fearful side of “awe” gained traction, becoming mainstream by the 19th century. Now “awful” is firmly established as a term for something “extremely disagreeable or objectionable,” as in, “This movie is awful.” However, the word is still used informally to mean “exceedingly great,” as in, “An awful lot of people left the theater early,” or as an adverb: “I’m awfully glad you could come to the party.” 

Interestingly, this linguistic shift reflects how we psychologically experience awe. According to psychologist Robert Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions (which helps depict how emotions are related), awe sits right between amazement and terror — a blend of both surprise and fear that has been reflected throughout the term’s evolution.

Innovation sometimes requires differentiation between two or more types of the same thing. For example, at one time a guitar was, well, just a guitar. But technology progressed, and beginning in the 1930s, adjectives were required to differentiate between acoustic guitars and electric guitars.

These are retronyms — terms adopted to distinguish an older version from more recent versions. They’re typically created by adding an adjective before a base term to describe similar items. “Retronym” is from the Latin retro, meaning “backward,” and the Greek ónoma, meaning “name.”  

And so it is with numerous other innovations, not just the guitar. “Radio” became “AM radio” and “FM” radio. Clocks became analog clocks and digital clocks.    

And what about eggs? We now have regular eggs, cage-free eggs, and pasture-raised eggs. Cage-free hens are housed indoors but not in individual cages, and can roam freely, engaging in natural behaviors; pasture-raised hens have significant access to outdoor areas for roaming and foraging, for even more natural living.

Similarly, once upon a time, it was simple to shop for milk. But now we have a variety of choices, including whole milk, 1% milk, 2% milk, skim milk, almond milk, cashew milk, soy milk, lactose-free milk, evaporated milk, condensed milk, goat milk, and, where legal, even raw milk. You wouldn’t want to risk buying the wrong milk.

Retronyms even affect something as simple as a signature. There was a time when you only signed using pen and ink. With the advent of facsimile machines, we started using fax signatures. Then, with the internet, e-signatures. Now, to distinguish when an old-fashioned pen-and-ink signature is required (as for deeds and wills, for example), we use the term “wet signature.”

You likely don’t realize how many things you come into contact with every day that have become retronyms because of some development in the technology or usage of the product. 

• liquid soap and bar soap
• cloth diaper and disposable diaper
• manual transmission and automatic transmission
• conventional oven and microwave oven
• snail mail and email
• road bike, mountain bike, and e-bike
• brick-and-mortar store and online store
• hardcover book and e-book

We’ll continue to need retronyms in language as long as we keep innovating — the latest seems to be human-created and AI-created, available to add to any digital content.