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Many European surnames originated from 'son of [father's ... | funfact.wiki | funfact.wiki
Many European surnames originated from 'son of [father's name].' English -son (Johnson, Jackson), Celtic Mc/Mac (McDonald, MacArthur) and O' (O'Brien), Spanish -ez (Rodríguez, González), and Slavic -vić (Ibrahimović, Đoković) all trace back to a father's name that became hereditary.
  • Europe
  • English language
  • Spanish language
  • Language
  • Culture
  • Surname
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The Chinese character '羊,' read as 'yang' (meaning "sheep"), likely depicts a goat instead. When it was created, goats were far more common in East Asia. The "Year of the Sheep" in the Chinese zodiac was originally closer to the Year of the Goat.
  • Chinese character
  • Sheep
  • Goat
  • East Asia
  • Chinese zodiac
  • Language
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The word 'ketchup' comes from '膎汁' (kôe-chiap) in the Chinese Min Nan dialect, meaning 'fish sauce.' It was originally a fermented fish and shellfish sauce—tomato ketchup was not invented until 1812.
  • Ketchup
  • China
  • Fish
  • Tomato
  • Food
  • Language
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The barbershop pole originated from a time when barbers in Europe also performed surgery. Red represents arteries and bleeding, blue represents veins and shaving, and white represents bones and bandages.
  • Barbershop
  • Europe
  • Surgery
  • Medicine
  • History
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The Korean word '그녀' (geunyeo, meaning 'she') didn't originally exist. It was coined in the early 20th century to translate the English pronoun 'She,' eventually winning out over competitors like '그미,' '궐녀,' and '그히.'
  • Korean
  • English
  • Language
  • She
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'Goodbye' originated in the mid-16th century as a contraction of "God be with ye." It was gradually shortened to forms like 'Godbwye,' and under the influence of greetings like 'Good morning,' 'God' shifted to 'Good,' giving us today's word.
  • Goodbye
  • English
  • Language
  • Etymology
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