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One Step Now Education January 30, 2026 viscosity Yes, we have our third week in a row of words to investigate that end in <-ity>. Perhaps we can dive a little deeper into this suffixal construction. But it's not the suffix that intrigues me here; it's the possible base. Or maybe two bases? Could the <vis> be the same as we see in vision or visual? And does that mean the <cos> is another base? Let's find out. And as we do, we will also learn about noun phrases and their component parts,...

One Step Now Education December 31, 2025 slop In the last month of the year, several organizations select their Word of the Year. You may have seen all the controversy when Dictionary.com selected 6-7, which many argued isn't even a "word." Oxford picked ragebait. Merriam-Webster has selected their Word of the Year for 2025, and the word is...slop. For them, slop describes the use of artificial intelligence, but this word has several meanings that are worth exploring. As you investigate this...

One Step Now Education December 26, 2025 exalt Many things may attract you to a word. You may notice a similarity to another word and wonder about a connection. You may be curious about the base of the word. You might be amazed by an unusual grapheme. For the word exalt, I wondered, "What is the base of this word?" "Is it related to alternate?" There's an ALT button on most keyboards. And yet, there doesn't seem to be any connection between alternate and what I believe is the meaning of the...

One Step Now Education December 12, 2025 multitudinous And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Whether you are reading this passage in the Bible or have chills from Linus's recitation in A Charlie Brown Christmas, you may have spotted the word multitude and become curious. I became curious listening to an episode of Alanis Morissette's podcast, Conversations with...

One Step Now Education December 5, 2025 advent It is the beginning of December, and for those who celebrate, the start of your advent calendar. Like many Christmas traditions, these little calendars began in Germany, with their tiny doors marking the countdown of days until Christmas. Behind each door, you may find a little gift of chocolate or a Bible verse. But what about the word advent itself? What gifts does it have in store? How is it related to Christmas or calendars? Is it related to...

One Step Now Education November 28, 2025 condiment I was reading a website on the history of ketchup. And then that linked me to the history of mustard. Before I knew it, I had spent some time learning the history of various condiments. Perhaps I'll be ready if it's ever a category on Jeopardy. Or maybe for Thanksgiving dinner in America this week. Regardless, the word condiment itself had me wondering. Is it <-ent> or <-ment>? If it's the latter, then would <di> be the base? As odd as that...

One Step Now Education November 21, 2025 collagen With the proliferation of health supplement commercials and the incorporation of it into cooking, the word collagen has been popping up on my radar more and more. Many words from science are often of more recent coinage, named after we "discover" their benefits or properties. I'm wondering how old this word actually is. Is it Modern, or Scientific, Latin? Could it be an old word we have repurposed? As we dig into this investigation, you'll...

One Step Now Education November 14, 2025 placebo If a group puts on a placebo conference, did it even happen? This joke makes me smile, and it makes my brain itch a bit. Placebo is such an interesting-looking word. It might be worth an investigation. I'm even wondering if it's related to placid. From this dad joke we will review the basics of bases and affixes. We'll explore the concept of borrowing and examine loanwords. Finally we'll examine that idea that etymology governs grapheme choice....