Research is underway to test the efficacy of psilocybin on treating mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.

While mycologists and mushroom foragers have traditionally studied which species are edible versus toxic (and even deadly), interest is rising in the hundreds of mushroom species that produce a psychoactive compound called “psilocybin.”

Fungus is a vast category of organisms that includes mushrooms, molds, yeasts, smuts, and mildew, and people who study fungi in academic and other scientific settings are called “mycologists.”

Why this word?

“Mycology,” or the study of fungi, is an English word that was coined in the early 19th century, but it was based on the Latin word “myco-” and the Greek structure of other “-ologies.”

Word Origin

Latin, mid-19th century

Example Sentences

“My sister traces her interest in mycology back to her early reading of the mushroom hunt in ‘Anna Karenina.'”

“The library is hosting a mycology seminar to help people identify local varieties of mushrooms and fungi.”

“The mildew removal company was called Mycology Masters.”

Wow! That's So cool

Were the wheels ever on there?

We have myriad synonyms in English for “banter,” several of them also borrowed from French: “repartee,” “raillery,” “riposte,” “bon mots,” and “badinage.”

Why this word?

A sign of a good friendship is the ability to joke with each other and tease about things that only you know. This type of banter has a particular name: persiflage. It comes from the French word for “banter,” “persifler,” which itself is based on the word for “whistle,” “siffler.”

“Their brunch was filled with easy persiflage, the kind of teasing only close friends can get away with.”

Word Origin

French, mid-18th century

Example Sentences

“At the office holiday party, the persiflage at our table kept everyone laughing through the long speeches.”

“They traded persiflage during the road trip to keep themselves awake on the long, boring stretch of highway.”

that's cool

AI?

Question is though
How the heck do they get them out of the mold without breaking it?

That’s the most common use of “portage” now, and it can be used as both a noun and a verb. “Portage” as a noun is the act of carrying a boat between bodies of water, or the place where it is done. But it can

Why this word?

“Portage” comes from the French word “porter,” meaning “to carry.” It came into Middle English in the context of carrying anything; the sense of carrying a boat between navigable waters didn’t come into use until the late 17th century.

“We had to portage our supplies the last 100 yards to the cabin because the rain washed out the riverbank.”

also be used as a verb for this same activity: “We needed to portage to reach the lake.”

Word Origin

French, late 17th century

Example Sentences

“We rented canoes for the weekend, but none of us realized the portage between lakes was nearly a mile uphill.”

“The guide explained that the portage had been used for generations by local fishing families moving between rivers.”