Some words sound inherently modern, as if they could have been invented in the last few decades alongside smartphones, social media, 3D printing, and self-driving cars. But step into the world of etymology and more often than not, you’ll find words with ancient histories. Even the most modern-sounding words — those we use frequently in our fast-paced, technologically driven world — can have origins in times long gone, sometimes as far back as Old English and the tongues of classical antiquity. Here, we look at eight words that feel contemporary but have surprisingly ancient roots. 

Whether talking about computers or pandemics, the word “virus” has plenty of context — often negative — in our modern world. Perhaps the only positive association is “going viral,” something that many would-be influencers strive to achieve. That usage is newer, but the word “virus” itself has been around for a long time. It goes back to classical Latin, in which vīrus refers to a poisonous secretion or venom, or potentially anything with a virulent or malignant quality. “Virus” entered the English language in 1599 in the context of a poisonous venom, while “viral,” meaning “caused by a virus,” emerged much later in the 1930s. 

Long before the existence of the social media platform we now call X, the word “twitter” appeared in late 14th-century Middle English. It began as “twiteren,” meaning “to chirp or make small, tremulous sounds,” in reference to birds. Birds have long since twittered in many literary works, including James Thomson’s poem “Autumn”: “With other kindred birds of season, there / They twitter cheerful, till the vernal months / Invite them welcome back.” 

Before cars, stock markets, and computers began crashing, “crash” emerged as an onomatopoeic word in the late 14th century, first written as “crasschen,” meaning “to break into pieces or make a loud, clattering sound.” And prior to car crashes, people crashed horses, such as in Charles Kingsley’s 1866 novel Hereward the Wake, in which “two other knights crashed their horses through the brushwood.” 

The dating app Tinder popularized the modern swipe, with its “swipe right to like, swipe left to pass” functionality — something the app’s co-founder came up with while in the shower. The word “swipe,” however, has been around for at least two centuries. In 1825, “swipe” was used in Scottish as “to move circularly” or “to give a stroke in a semicircular or elliptical form.” It soon after appeared in English, meaning “to strike at” or “deal a swinging blow,” often in relation to the English sport of cricket. A more modern usage of swiping a credit card first appeared in 1986, according to the Oxford English Dictionary.  

Today, if someone is referred to as a gamer, it probably means they play video games — or, if they’re more old-school, tabletop role-playing games. But gamers are nothing new. The word has been used since Middle English to refer to anyone who frequently takes part in a game or sport, or a person who plays games for stakes — in other words, a gambler. This latter sense was often frowned upon. In J. H. Ingraham’s 1845 short story “The Key; Or the Pack of Cards,” we are told, “The gamer is farther from restoration even than the drunkard, because what he does he does in the light of sobriety.” 

Surveys indicate the average American may spend up to 10 hours a day online. That’s a big chunk of time spent browsing — and an impressively impactful feat for a word that’s been around since the 15th century. “Browse” originally referred to the way in which animals feed on buds or eat leaves from trees, or the manner in which cattle graze. The pastoral meaning was extended to the perusal of books in the early 1800s and later found its way into modern internet parlance. 

The modern usage of “sick” to mean “outstandingly or amazingly good or impressive” is a prime example of amelioration — a type of semantic change in which words with negative or neutral associations improve in meaning and develop positive connotations. “Sick” itself goes all the way back to the Old English word séoc, referring to suffering from illness of any kind, or being generally unwell or ailing. The word bravely hung on to its original sense for centuries, until skateboarders and surfers decided to radically invert its meaning in the 1980s. 

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The sheer dread of being unfriended on social media is one of the modern world’s greatest woes. Some small succor can perhaps be found, however, in the knowledge that unfriending is nothing new. “Unfriend” as a noun has existed since at least the 13th century, referring to someone who is not a friend or on friendly terms, or possibly an enemy. As a verb — and more aligned with the modern meaning — we can find an example in a 1659 letter by Thomas Fuller, in which he wrote, “I hope, Sir, that we are not mutually un-friended by this difference which hath happened betwixt us.” 

Despite both being native English speakers, someone from the Northeast may struggle to understand every regionalism spoken by someone from the Deep South. The same is true when it comes to football, where players, coaches, and even TV analysts use coded jargon that often goes over the heads of some fans.

Just think of the last time you watched a football game. Whether you were in the bleachers, close to the high school action, or hearing miked NFL players on TV, you might have heard the quarterback using a bunch of seemingly random words while calling plays. It’s all part of a coded language meant to convey secret messages to teammates. Those words, numbers, and letters have a deeper meaning. Here’s a closer look at how to decode football jargon.

Basic terms such as “touchdown,” “interception,” and “first down” are widely understood by both fans and players alike. Less clear, however, is why a quarterback may shout “Linda” before a snap, or what the word “tundra” means in the context of the gridiron.

Teams use different specific words in an effort to keep their playbooks shrouded in mystery, but there are general concepts that guide the lingo. If the words were the same across the NFL, then the opposing defense would know exactly what play was coming all the time. Coaches change it up from team to team, while still following overarching guidelines that players are familiar with, so the teams can quickly learn and memorize new plays.

For a look at the bigger picture, we turned to an interview between sports podcaster Pablo Torre and former college quarterback Nate Tice, in which Tice elaborated on some of the more common terminology used on the gridiron. 

Usually this coded language is based on the first letter of a word. For instance, if the quarterback uses a word starting with “R” or “L,” they’re instructing players to run either right or left. In a clip shown during Tice’s interview with Torre, New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll mentioned that the team uses “Rita” instead of “right” and “Linda” instead of “left” (now you’re in on the secret). Each coach is likely to rely on a unique “R” and “L” word for this same directional purpose.

“D” words and “T” words, on the other hand, are widely used as a way to instruct players about where they should stand when lining up. On a typical play, the offense might have four eligible receivers (e.g., wide receivers, tight ends). If the coach wants two receivers on each side of the ball (“doubled”), they’ll call a play using a “D” word such as “dolphin.” But if the coach wants three receivers on one side and a single man on the other side, they’ll use a “T” word (code for “triple”) such as “trips” or “trio.”

The numbers tell the blockers what type of protection they need to provide and which direction they need to go. Again, each team determines what their numbers mean specifically, but players moving from team to team know the general category numbers designate. 

Lastly, it’s important for the play caller to tell receivers what routes to run. For instance, Tice brought up the word “float” — a portmanteau of the words “flag” (which is a synonym for “corner” in the world of football) and “out.” If the receivers hear the word “float,” they know to run out toward the corner. “Tundra,” on the other hand, means “two under.” So a “tundra” call means that two receivers would run an under route. 

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Some of these words and phrases are more intuitive than others — a weekend football fan might not be able to step into the huddle and immediately translate the plays, but the formula allows football players to pick up new play calls more easily. The next time you’re watching a game, listen for words that start with “L” or “R,” and “D” or “T,” and see if you can accurately predict which play is coming. You may be surprised to find how easy it is to follow along with the analysts. 

Have you ever pretended to love a holiday gift, even though it’s something you didn’t need? Or complimented a friend’s outfit, despite the fact that it’s not really your style? If so, you told a white lie: “a lie about a small or unimportant matter that someone tells to avoid hurting another person.” While this term holds a place in the modern lexicon, its origins are centuries old.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, one of the earliest known written examples of the phrase dates to April 10, 1567. It appeared in a letter sent by one Ralph Adderley to a Sir Nicholas Bagnall, reading: “I do assure you he is unsuspected of any untruth or other notable crime (except a white lie) which is taken for a Small fault in these parts.” But we don’t know that Adderley coined the term, just that he penned an early surviving example.

The origins of “white lie” are believed to stem from ancient associations between light and purity or good, whereas darkness often represented evil. Things that were described as white or portrayed in lighter hues were considered less likely to cause harm. The phrase “white lie,” even in the 16th-century context, suggests that the fib being told is more pure in its intentions and thus less likely to hurt anyone’s feelings.

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This begs the question: Did people ever use “black lie” to describe more malicious lies? Yes, as evidenced by a 1741 gossip column from The Gentleman’s Magazine. An excerpt reads: “certain Lady of the highest quality … makes a judicious distinction between a white and a black Lie.” But while the more nefarious “black lie” has largely faded from use, people still have use for the wholesome “white lie,” and it remains in the modern lexicon.