People gather around a large valve radio in 1940. By that point, over 80% of American households owned a radio. FPG/Hulton Archive/Getty Images hide caption
Word of the week NPR examines the history and meaning behind newsworthy words.
Special Series
Word of the week
Sign of the season: Pumpkins and other cucurbits sit on a garden cart at a festival in Nevers, France, on Oct. 4. Frédéric Moreau/Hans Lucas/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Pumpkin: A favorite sign of fall, with a bit of shady history
Two rabbits peering out of top hats belonging to Magic Circle magician Gus Davenport, at the Scala Theatre in London in 1951. Ron Burton/Getty Images/Hulton Archive hide caption
A shopkeeper sells spices at a market in Karachi on June 10, 2025. Rizwan Tabassum/AFP via Getty Images/AFP hide caption
Love pumpkin spice lattes? Learn some of its spicy history
A French zarf and cup, made around 1848 to 1855, made of porcelain. Zarfs are often associated with coffee drinking in the Ottoman Empire, but many were made in Europe. The Cleveland Museum of Art hide caption
A Boston Dynamics robot is seen on a media tour at the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant, in Ellabell, Ga., in March. Mike Stewart/AP hide caption
A play about the revolt of workers – not machinery – gave us the word ‘robot’
Who knew two letters could spark so much conversation? Pandagolik/Getty Images hide caption
"Gibson Girls" Miss Carlyle and Miss Clarke take tea. Gibson Girls were a tall, slim-waisted type of women characterized by the drawings of American society illustrator Charles Gibson circa 1905. Hulton Archive/Getty Images hide caption
The brainy protagonists featured in the hit CBS show, The Big Bang Theory, were an example of nerd culture on TV. Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty Images hide caption
Nerd! How the word popularized by Dr. Seuss went from geeky insult to mainstream
A dog poses for a photo on Sept. 6, 2023 in Straffan, Ireland. Oisin Keniry/Getty Images hide caption
A pair of 1X androids are displayed at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) at ExCel on May 30, 2023, in London. Leon Neal/Getty Images Europe hide caption
Andy Irons of Hawaii takes a bottom turn on a wave during the Boost Mobile Pro, Part of the Foster's ASP Men's World Surfing Tour on Sept. 18, 2005, at Lower Trestles in San Clemente, Calif. Donald Miralle/Getty Images hide caption
Martin Van Buren served as U.S. president from 1837 to 1841. Some would say he was not much more than an OK president. National Archives/Getty Images/Hulton Archive hide caption
OK, is Martin Van Buren responsible for the tiny word that punches above its weight?
The word "y'all" has spread beyond the South, thanks in part to its blend of polite respect and folksy inclusivity. Here, a golf tournament volunteer holds a "Hush Y'all" sign at the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic in Mobile, Ala., in 2012. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images hide caption
Edith Johnson and Dorothea Lambert Chambers face off in the 1910 Wimbledon tournament in London. Lawn tennis — the game we know today — started in the late 19th century but has its roots in a medieval sport. Paul Thompson/European Picture Service/FPG/Archive Photos/Getty Images hide caption
Lots of people love tennis. But do you know where it comes from?
Jamaican Jerk Chicken cooks on the charcoal grill during the Notting Hill Carnival in 2006 in London. Miles Willis/Getty Images hide caption
Barbecue is everywhere for the Fourth of July. Here's its origin story
A young boy holds up a sign reading "bans off her body bruh" at a rally outside the State Capitol in support of abortion rights in Atlanta, Georgia on May 14, 2022. Elijah Nouvelage/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Brother to Bruh: How Gen Alpha slang has its origins in the 16th century
Labubu figures and dolls are seen on display at a Pop Mart store on June 9 in Shanghai. Visual China Group/Getty Images hide caption
Agar plates with salmonella cultures ready for testing in the Medical Microbiology at the Houston Health and Human Services Department on June 18, 2015, in Houston. Mayra Beltran/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images hide caption
A woman poses for a photo on a sign spelling out the name of Nice, France, last summer. The city's name derives from Nike, the Greek goddess who heralds victory — not the word "nice," which was borrowed into Old French from Latin long after the city was founded. Julio Cortez/AP hide caption
Word of the Week: This four-letter word doesn’t mean what it used to. That’s nice
Participants carry balloons spelling out "Pride" during the 51st LGBTQ Pride Parade in Chicago on June 26, 2022. Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Word of the Week: How 'pride' evolved from a deadly sin to affirming gay rights
The damaged front of the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic stands following a bomb blast on May 17 in Palm Springs, California. A suspected bomber is believed to have post a manifesto to social media before the explosion. David McNew/Getty Images hide caption
Members of the French Navy monitor radar in the control bridge in low light conditions during an anti-drug interception mission by the French surveillance frigate FS Ventose sailing off the French Caribbean island of Martinique, on November 16, 2024. JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty Images/AFP hide caption
A seagull flies over Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary on Alcatraz Island July 2, 2003 in the San Francisco Bay, California. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America hide caption