This is a part of Science Diction, a series digging into the scientific origin stories behind our words and language. Find all our stories and previous issues here. Words like these weren’t just ...

The idea is that we associate two things that have something in common. A scientist gives a test to her students: Affiliate male and female names equally—and as quickly—with science terms. Here are ...

Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, a word famous for its length, describes a lung disease caused by inhaling fine silica dust, particularly volcanic ash. Coined in 1935 by Everett M. Smith ...