Merriam-Webster named “authentic” the word of the year for 2023, which saw a notable uptick in lookups compared to previous years.
100 Mind-Blowing Merriam Facts
Peanuts aren’t technically nuts. They’re legumes. According to Merriam-Webster, a nut is only a nut if it’s “a hard-shelled dry fruit or seed with a separable rind or shell and interior kernel.” That means walnuts, almonds, cashews, and pistachios aren’t nuts either. They’re seeds.
The real name for a hashtag is an octothorpe. The ‘octo’ refers to the eight points in the symbol, but according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the ‘thorpe’ part is a mystery.
The real name for a hashtag is octothorpe. While we know that “octo” refers to the symbol’s eight points, even Merriam-Webster is unsure about the “Thorpe” part.