The last word fact entry received a positive response, so I was encouraged to post again on the same topic.

  • The word perk (as in, “your job has lots of perks”) is actually a shortened version of the word perquisite.
  • Berserk, meaning violently or destructively frenzied, comes from Norse warriors who fought with frenzied rage in battle, possibly induced by eating hallucinogenic mushrooms. Such warriors wore hides of bears, which explains the probable origin of berserkr as a compound of *bera, “bear,” and serkr, “shirt, coat.”
  • Mesmerize is named after Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815), Austrian physician who developed a theory of animal magnetism and a mysterious body fluid which allows one person to hypnotize another.
  • The term counterproductive has nothing to do with rating fast-food employee efficiency
  • Irregardless is a word, albeit nonstandard. Nine out of ten smart people will think you’re stupid if you use it however. Impress them instead by using “irrespective”.
  • The word carpet has little to do with either cars or pets.
  • Tranquility is often considered the most beautiful word in the English language. Runners up include lullaby, gossamer, gracious, mother, sycamore and lovely. The ugliest words? Cacophony, crunch, flatulent, gripe, phlegmatic, plutocrat, treachery, fructify, kumquat, crepuscular, and gargoyle.

Sources: dictionary.com, thefreedictionary.com, google, my brain