/metəˌfôrˈt(y)o͞oitəs/ adj. the gleeful feeling that manifests in the curious communicator upon serendipitously stumbling upon a new word or phrase and learning its etymology, usage and derivative forms. Have you ever wondered why some words are pronounced the way they are or how they entered the English language? What religious, social, economic or other factors helped shape the development of our language? This blog tackles these -- and lighter -- subjects.