latin - LingoDigest

The Language of Salt: How a Single Commodity Carved Paths Across the Lexicon

6 min read

Long before refrigeration, salt was a mineral so valuable that Roman soldiers were paid in it, giving us the word “salary.” This single commodity seasoned our language as much as our food, creating expressions like “worth one’s salt” and “to take it with a grain of salt.” This article unearths the etymological trade routes carved by this humble, yet powerful, crystal, revealing a hidden history in our everyday vocabulary.

History Etymology Writing

The Character with a Secret History: How a Roman Scribble Became the Ampersand

5 min read

The ampersand (&) is more than a simple stand-in for “and”; it’s a linguistic fossil with a secret history. This ubiquitous symbol began as a quick ligature by Roman scribes trying to write the Latin word *et* and later spent time as the 27th letter of the alphabet. From a scribe’s shortcut to a typographer’s darling, the ampersand’s journey is a fascinating look at how language evolves.