Weird Etymological Facts Quiz: How Many Correct Answers Can You Get?
Anonymous User
Created 6/19/2024
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Test your knowledge of strange word origins and etymology with this intriguing quiz. Challenge yourself to answer 20 mind-boggling questions and see how many you can get right!
1. The word 'sandwich' is named after which historical figure?
The 4th Earl of Sandwich
The 3rd Duke of Wellington
The 5th Baron of Beef
The 2nd Marquess of Bread
2. The word 'ketchup' potentially originated from which language?
Chinese
Malay
Hindi
Arabic
3. The word 'checkmate' in chess comes from the Persian phrase ‘shāh māt’. What does it mean?
The king is dead
The king is cornered
The king is helpless
The king has won
4. From which mythology does the word 'clue' acquire its origins?
Roman
Greek
Norse
Celtic
5. Lewis Carroll coined the word 'chortle' in his poem 'Jabberwocky'. What two words did he combine?
Chuckle and Snort
Cheer and Tattle
Chirp and Rattle
Chuckle and Mumble
6. What does the word 'pandemonium' mean?
A place for all the demons
A place of peace
A place for all the gods
A place of chaos
7. The word 'quiz' allegedly originated from a bet by whom?
A Dublin Theatre Owner
A London Professor
An American Politician
A French Artist
8. The first known appearance of the word 'nightlife' was in which author’s work?
Herman Melville
Mark Twain
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Charles Dickens
9. The term 'robot' was popularized by which play?
R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots)
Metropolis
The Time Machine
1984
10. The word 'shampoo' comes from a Hindi verb meaning what?
To massage
To wash
To cleanse
To style
11. The word 'vaccination' is derived from which substance?
Cowpox
Smallpox
Chickenpox
Horsepox
12. What does the word 'dunce' originally refer to?
A follower of John Duns Scotus
A French peasant
A slow horse
An old coin
13. The cheese 'brie' is named after which location?
A region in France
An Italian village
An Irish town
A German city
14. In which century did the term 'ketchup' first appear in English?
17th
18th
16th
19th
15. What does the word 'fact' originate from in Latin?
To do
To tell
To create
To write
16. The term 'dolphin' derives from an ancient Greek word meaning what?
Womb
Fish
Wave
Sea
17. 'Orangutan' translates from Malay to mean what?
Man of the woods
Mountain dweller
Sea person
Forest ghost
18. The root of 'plumber' comes from the Latin word for what metal?
Lead
Iron
Copper
Tin
19. The word 'universe' is derived from Latin roots meaning what?
One turned
All space
One world
Sky realm
20. The word 'orchid' has a root meaning in Greek related to which body part?
