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Lexitecture

Lexitecture

Ryan Paulsen and Amy Hanlon

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1 Creator

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1 Creator

A Canadian (Ryan) and a Scot (Amy) talking about the words in the English language that fascinate them most at the moment, looking at their histories and origins and trying to piece together just how they got to where they are today. This is a podcast for anyone interested in etymology (the study of words and their origins/history). If you've ever found yourself happier after discovering some bizarre bit of trivia about a word that you hadn't even given a second thought to (such as how the word 'trivia' relates to its Latin components meaning "three roads"), this might just be the podcast for you.
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3 Listeners

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Top 10 Lexitecture Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Lexitecture episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Lexitecture for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Lexitecture episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Lexitecture - Episode 128: Taskmaster Handicap
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11/10/23 • 53 min

In this episode, Amy keeps everything on track as the "taskmaster", while Ryan is trying to weigh how much cheese a duck costs with "handicap".

For those interested (which should be literally 100% of the listening audience), here is Carrot In A Box.

For those interested (which should be literally 100% of the listening audience), here is where you can find Taskmaster on YouTube.

Lexitecture is a podcast about etymology (the linguistics study of the origin and history of words). In each normal, increasingly infrequent episode, a Canadian (Ryan) and a Scot (Amy) each present their current favourite word and talk about its origins, current use, and try to puzzle out how it may have gone from A to B. If you love thinking and talking about words, word origins, or just random bits of head-scratching language trivia, this may be the show for you!

Please subscribe to us on Spotify, Google Play Music, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts! Find us on Facebook, or on Twitter, or on Reddit, or join our Word Nerd HQ Facebook group! Also, if you enjoy what we do, please give us a great rating wherever you can - it's a huge help in letting other people know we're worth listening to. Finally, to support the podcasting work we do, please consider becoming a Patreon sponsor at www.patreon.com/lexitecture Thanks!
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2 Listeners

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Lexitecture - Episode 129: Fine Film
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01/12/24 • 49 min

In this episode, Amy keeps a thin lid on things with "film", while Ryan is trying to figure out why there are so many different ways to be "fine".

For the record, the book is Synonyms Discriminated and it's by the Rev. Charles John Smith. It was written, like many other books, in 1871.

Lexitecture is a podcast about etymology (the linguistics study of the origin and history of words). In each normal, increasingly infrequent episode, a Canadian (Ryan) and a Scot (Amy) each present their current favourite word and talk about its origins, current use, and try to puzzle out how it may have gone from A to B. If you love thinking and talking about words, word origins, or just random bits of head-scratching language trivia, this may be the show for you!

Please subscribe to us on Spotify, Google Play Music, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts! Find us on Facebook, or on Twitter, or on Reddit, or join our Word Nerd HQ Facebook group! Also, if you enjoy what we do, please give us a great rating wherever you can - it's a huge help in letting other people know we're worth listening to. Finally, to support the podcasting work we do, please consider becoming a Patreon sponsor at www.patreon.com/lexitecture Thanks!
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2 Listeners

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Lexitecture - Episode 119: Christmas Winter
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12/20/22 • 53 min

In this episode, Amy delves into the cold and wet with "winter", and Ryan learns what happens when you combine a Greek letter with a sort of early missile with "Christmas".

Lexitecture is a podcast about etymology (the linguistics study of the origin and history of words). In each episode, a Canadian (Ryan) and a Scot (Amy) each present their current favourite word and talk about its origins, current use, and try to puzzle out how it may have gone from A to B. If you love thinking and talking about words, word origins, or just random bits of head-scratching language trivia, this may be the show for you!

Please subscribe to us on Spotify, Google Play Music, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts! Find us on Facebook, or on Twitter, or on Reddit, or join our Word Nerd HQ Facebook group! Also, if you enjoy what we do, please give us a great rating on iTunes - it's a huge help in letting other people know we're worth listening to. Finally, to support the podcasting work we do, please consider becoming a Patreon sponsor at www.patreon.com/lexitecture Thanks!
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1 Listener

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Lexitecture - Episode 131: Rudimentary Rival
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03/27/24 • 53 min

In this episode, Amy gets back to basics with "rudimentary", while Ryan swimming upstream, but along a bank, and always staring side-eyed across to his "rival".

Lexitecture is a podcast about etymology (the linguistics study of the origin and history of words). In each normal, increasingly infrequent episode, a Canadian (Ryan) and a Scot (Amy) each present their current favourite word and talk about its origins, current use, and try to puzzle out how it may have gone from A to B. If you love thinking and talking about words, word origins, or just random bits of head-scratching language trivia, this may be the show for you!

Please subscribe to us on Spotify, Google Play Music, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts! Find us on Facebook, or on Twitter, or on Reddit, or join our Word Nerd HQ Facebook group! Also, if you enjoy what we do, please give us a great rating wherever you can - it's a huge help in letting other people know we're worth listening to. Finally, to support the podcasting work we do, please consider becoming a Patreon sponsor at www.patreon.com/lexitecture Thanks!
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1 Listener

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Lexitecture - Episode 117: Sloth Junk
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10/25/22 • 47 min

In this episode, Amy takes her sweet time with "sloth", and Ryan tries to make the most of old "junk".

Lexitecture is a podcast about etymology (the linguistics study of the origin and history of words). In each episode, a Canadian (Ryan) and a Scot (Amy) each present their current favourite word and talk about its origins, current use, and try to puzzle out how it may have gone from A to B. If you love thinking and talking about words, word origins, or just random bits of head-scratching language trivia, this may be the show for you!

Please subscribe to us on Spotify, Google Play Music, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts! Find us on Facebook, or on Twitter, or on Reddit, or join our Word Nerd HQ Facebook group! Also, if you enjoy what we do, please give us a great rating on iTunes - it's a huge help in letting other people know we're worth listening to. Finally, to support the podcasting work we do, please consider becoming a Patreon sponsor at www.patreon.com/lexitecture Thanks!
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Lexitecture - Episode 118: Cheesemonger Parade
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11/07/22 • 51 min

In this episode, Amy takes learns that cheese has always sold itself with "cheesemonger", and Ryan makes an ostentatious show of things for a "parade".

Special and enthusiastic thanks to Alyson, our newest Patreon sponsor!! Thank you Alyson, and to everyone who supports us over there!

Lexitecture is a podcast about etymology (the linguistics study of the origin and history of words). In each episode, a Canadian (Ryan) and a Scot (Amy) each present their current favourite word and talk about its origins, current use, and try to puzzle out how it may have gone from A to B. If you love thinking and talking about words, word origins, or just random bits of head-scratching language trivia, this may be the show for you!

Please subscribe to us on Spotify, Google Play Music, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts! Find us on Facebook, or on Twitter, or on Reddit, or join our Word Nerd HQ Facebook group! Also, if you enjoy what we do, please give us a great rating on iTunes - it's a huge help in letting other people know we're worth listening to. Finally, to support the podcasting work we do, please consider becoming a Patreon sponsor at www.patreon.com/lexitecture Thanks!
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Lexitecture - Episode 126: Not Long Ago, with Erin
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08/01/23 • 60 min

In this episode, Amy is joined by a very special guest for a live, in-person and totally Canadian-less episode, featuring long-time listener and avid academic Word Nerd, Erin Bell!

Erin is currently pursuing a Masters degree in linguistics at Trinity College, Dublin, and just happened to be in bonnie Scotland, where schedules and stars aligned to have her and Amy meet up to record an episode where they got to talk about Erin's studies, focused on American English idioms, and in particular, the fantastical four opening words: Once Upon A Time!

Huge thanks to Erin, not only for taking time out of her studies and schedule to share her knowledge and enthusiasm with our show, but also for her years of listening, Patreon patronage, and general showboostery!

Lexitecture is a podcast about etymology (the linguistics study of the origin and history of words). In each normal, increasingly infrequent episode, a Canadian (Ryan) and a Scot (Amy) each present their current favourite word and talk about its origins, current use, and try to puzzle out how it may have gone from A to B. If you love thinking and talking about words, word origins, or just random bits of head-scratching language trivia, this may be the show for you!

Please subscribe to us on Spotify, Google Play Music, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts! Find us on Facebook, or on Twitter, or on Reddit, or join our Word Nerd HQ Facebook group! Also, if you enjoy what we do, please give us a great rating wherever you can - it's a huge help in letting other people know we're worth listening to. Finally, to support the podcasting work we do, please consider becoming a Patreon sponsor at www.patreon.com/lexitecture Thanks!
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Lexitecture - Episode 130: Object Between
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02/17/24 • 61 min

In this episode, Amy explores the space "between", while Ryan is trying to figure out a connection between an "object" and the action itself.

Lexitecture is a podcast about etymology (the linguistics study of the origin and history of words). In each normal, increasingly infrequent episode, a Canadian (Ryan) and a Scot (Amy) each present their current favourite word and talk about its origins, current use, and try to puzzle out how it may have gone from A to B. If you love thinking and talking about words, word origins, or just random bits of head-scratching language trivia, this may be the show for you!

Please subscribe to us on Spotify, Google Play Music, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts! Find us on Facebook, or on Twitter, or on Reddit, or join our Word Nerd HQ Facebook group! Also, if you enjoy what we do, please give us a great rating wherever you can - it's a huge help in letting other people know we're worth listening to. Finally, to support the podcasting work we do, please consider becoming a Patreon sponsor at www.patreon.com/lexitecture Thanks! PS - a note from Ryan: apologies to our wonderful listeners this episode - I'd been battling a wicked cough and general illness for several weeks and was only just getting over it to the point where I could make it through an episode, but I was pretty much constantly struggling to tamp down coughing fits every few minutes, hence my quite short segment and also my probably very annoying-to-listen-to somewhat pause-ridden speech pattern. I'm getting better, though, so that's good!
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Lexitecture - Episode 122: Quaint Dwang
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03/28/23 • 56 min

In this episode, Amy is holding up the walls with a "dwang", while Ryan is trying to be as skillful and ingenious as possible with "quaint".

Special and enormous thanks going out to our newest Patreon supporter: Fiona!

Also, for anyone looking for the links promised about that obscure 13th century book we talk about in this episode, here is the website and here is the YouTube video.

Lexitecture is a podcast about etymology (the linguistics study of the origin and history of words). In each normal, increasingly infrequent episode, a Canadian (Ryan) and a Scot (Amy) each present their current favourite word and talk about its origins, current use, and try to puzzle out how it may have gone from A to B. If you love thinking and talking about words, word origins, or just random bits of head-scratching language trivia, this may be the show for you!

Please subscribe to us on Spotify, Google Play Music, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts! Find us on Facebook, or on Twitter, or on Reddit, or join our Word Nerd HQ Facebook group! Also, if you enjoy what we do, please give us a great rating wherever you can - it's a huge help in letting other people know we're worth listening to. Finally, to support the podcasting work we do, please consider becoming a Patreon sponsor at www.patreon.com/lexitecture Thanks!
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Lexitecture - Episode 120: Align, Malign, Benign
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02/03/23 • 18 min

In this episode, Ryan is exploring - at the behest of listener Liz - whether there's a connection between "align", "malign", and "benign".

Lexitecture is a podcast about etymology (the linguistics study of the origin and history of words). In each normal, increasingly infrequent episode, a Canadian (Ryan) and a Scot (Amy) each present their current favourite word and talk about its origins, current use, and try to puzzle out how it may have gone from A to B. If you love thinking and talking about words, word origins, or just random bits of head-scratching language trivia, this may be the show for you!

If you're listening to this as soon as it comes out, do head over to check out all the wondrous stuff on offer at this years LingComm conference! Amy and Ryan will be on a panel for a session called Podcasting 101, scheduled for February 6 at 4pm EST (check out that second link to figure out what time it'll be wherever you are in the world!) so hopefully we may see/hear some of you there!

Please subscribe to us on Spotify, Google Play Music, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts! Find us on Facebook, or on Twitter, or on Reddit, or join our Word Nerd HQ Facebook group! Also, if you enjoy what we do, please give us a great rating on iTunes - it's a huge help in letting other people know we're worth listening to. Finally, to support the podcasting work we do, please consider becoming a Patreon sponsor at www.patreon.com/lexitecture Thanks!
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FAQ

How many episodes does Lexitecture have?

Lexitecture currently has 140 episodes available.

What topics does Lexitecture cover?

The podcast is about Learning, Language, Literature, History, Podcasts, English and Education.

What is the most popular episode on Lexitecture?

The episode title 'Episode 128: Taskmaster Handicap' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Lexitecture?

The average episode length on Lexitecture is 40 minutes.

How often are episodes of Lexitecture released?

Episodes of Lexitecture are typically released every 14 days.

When was the first episode of Lexitecture?

The first episode of Lexitecture was released on Mar 11, 2018.

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