Lexitecture

Lexitecture

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.

Episodes

April 28, 2025 67 mins

We're back and it looks like 'monthly' is our new for-real schedule! WOO!

In this episode, Amy pays the unscrupulous rent with "blackmail", while Ryan communes with a Hindu effigy known as "Juggernaut".

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 t...

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The sun may be setting on the third month of 2025, but it's not gone yet, and here we are with our third episode of the year! 

In this episode, Amy squares up against "carfax", while Ryan discovers a stowaway suffix in a pile of "wealth".

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 presen...

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March 2, 2025 71 mins

We're back!!

In this episode, Amy looks loftiyl at "haughty", while Ryan ponders a sweet and colourful examply of 'chicken vs egg with "orange".

For those curious about the colour "pewke", here is a list that features an example of the colour.

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 p...

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January 26, 2025 72 mins

We're back!!

In this episode, Amy looks at a sneaky compound with "destroy", while Ryan considers the nature of time and gifts with "present".

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 ho...

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August 6, 2024 60 mins

In this episode, Amy just throws around needless "n"s with impunity during a solid "scavenge", while Ryan goes from place to place, possibly with hostility, along the "road".

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, curre...

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In this episode, Amy is elsewhere completely while Ryan is appreciating all over again the all-too-frequent cuteness of the "-le" suffix in English!

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 ...

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March 26, 2024 53 mins

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 tr...

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February 17, 2024 61 mins

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...

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January 11, 2024 49 mins

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...

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November 10, 2023 53 mins

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 linguist...

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September 8, 2023 67 mins

In this episode, Amy keeps it all together with "harmony", while Ryan is considering sticky angles with "pitch", that he never knew in the first place.

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 puzz...

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August 1, 2023 60 mins

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 stud...

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July 4, 2023 52 mins

In this episode, Amy rails against a Glastonbury tradition with "flag", while Ryan is remembering all kinds of things about "forget", that he never knew in the first place.

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...

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June 5, 2023 39 mins

In this episode, Amy getting back to roots with "folk", while Ryan is stuffing "frequent" repeatedly.

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 lo...

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May 15, 2023 49 mins

In this episode, Amy is mixing things up with "cocktail", while Ryan is peeling back the many, many layers of "every".

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 ...

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March 27, 2023 56 mins

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 lin...

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March 6, 2023 37 mins

In this episode, Amy is throwing shade at the world of the humble "shed", while, Ryan is falling down and opening the floodgates with "cataract".

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...

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February 3, 2023 18 mins

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...

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December 19, 2022 53 mins

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 ...

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November 6, 2022 51 mins

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 (A...

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