

I like to spice up Language Arts classes with mini–lessons in etymology and the kids are always pumped to learn where words come from. I'm running a little dry though, and am hoping metafilter knows of some really fun ones. Thank you for your time.

The etymology of the word "glamour" comes from the word "grammar". Over time, the "r" eroded to an "l" and became associated with someone who was high–falutin. This is possibly my favourite etymological story, and I like sharing it with my students. I got it from a book called "Thereby Hangs a Tale". Metafilter, what are your favourite etymological stories?