200 of 200 curated journeys

Lexography maps how words and meanings travel across languages, places, cultures, and history. Search a word to begin its journey.

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coffee — the drink
tea — the drink
sugar — the sweetener
orange — the fruit and color
algebra — the mathematical field
algorithm — a procedure
avatar — incarnation and digital identity
robot — the artificial worker / machine
shampoo — massage and washing
safari — the expedition
chocolate — the cacao drink
zero — the number
window — An opening
alcohol — Ethanol
emoji — A digital character
ketchup — Tomato ketchup
mouse — The animal
bungalow — The house
vaccine — The immunization preparation
tattoo — The body marking
salary — Wages
typhoon — The tropical cyclone
quarantine — The isolation measure
assassin — The killer
pajamas — Sleepwear
guitar — The instrument
computer — The machine
paper — The material
lemon — The citrus fruit
chess — The game
magazine — The periodical
camera — The image-making device
avocado — The fruit
canoe — The boat
barbecue — The cooking method
admiral — The naval rank
sofa — The upholstered seat
silk — The silk material
jungle — The vegetation
loot — The booty
guru — The teacher
tomato — The fruit
potato — The sweet potato
hammock — The hanging bed
banana — The fruit
boomerang — The weapon
kangaroo — The animal
kiosk — The pavilion
caravan — The travelers
engine — The machine
tsunami — The tsunami
karaoke — The entertainment
rickshaw — The rickshaw
sauna — The bath
slogan — The battle cry
democracy — The government
electricity — The electric force
cotton — The cotton material
ginger — The ginger spice
cinnamon — The cinnamon spice
yoga — Yoga practice
mantra — The mantra formula
bazaar — The bazaar marketplace
sherbet — The sherbet drink
cipher — The arithmetic cipher
tobacco — The tobacco plant
vanilla — The vanilla pod
maize — The maize plant and grain
kayak — The kayak boat
igloo — The igloo dwelling
kimono — The kimono garment
tycoon — The political title
mosquito — The mosquito insect
patio — The patio courtyard
budget — The budget pouch
virus — The biological virus
broadcast — Agricultural broadcast
hurricane — The hurricane storm
savanna — The savanna plain
jaguar — The jaguar cat
cashew — The cashew tree
okra — The okra plant and pod
zombie — The zombie spirit
taboo — The taboo prohibition
ukulele — The ukulele instrument
zen — Zen Buddhism
bonsai — The bonsai tree
paprika — The paprika condiment
vampire — The vampire creature
mammoth — The mammoth animal
cobalt — The cobalt element
piano — The piano instrument
dollar — The dollar unit
rocket — The rocket projectile
meme — The cultural meme
cookie — The cookie cake
bug — The insect bug
taekwondo — The taekwondo martial art
ubuntu — Ubuntu as humanity and humaneness
yurt — The yurt dwelling
skunk — the North American mammal
orangutan — the great ape
batik — the textile technique
amok — frenzied or uncontrolled action
samba — the Brazilian dance
potlatch — the gift-giving ceremony
billabong — the Australian backwater
condor — the South American vulture
haiku — the short poem
moccasin — the soft shoe
kora — the West African harp-lute
sabbath — the religious day of rest
papyrus — the paper plant and material
sari — the wrapped garment
shogun — the Japanese military ruler
manga — Japanese comics
hooligan — the thug or hoodlum
moose — the North American deer
fjord — the long sea inlet
calypso — the Caribbean song
axolotl — the Mexican salamander
coyote — the North American canid
totem — the clan or family emblem
toboggan — the snow sled
kiwi — the New Zealand bird
haka — the Māori ceremonial performance
dingo — the Australian wild dog
marimba — the xylophone-like instrument
djembe — the West African hand drum
impala — the African antelope
rattan — the flexible palm material
gong — the struck metal instrument
shaman — the ritual specialist
tsar — the Russian imperial title
kung fu — Chinese martial arts
chintz — the printed cotton fabric
shtetl — the Eastern European Jewish town
apartheid — the policy of racial separation
kindergarten — the early-childhood school
kraal — the South African enclosure or village
khaki — The cloth and colour
catamaran — The catamaran boat
cashmere — The wool and fabric
karma — Karma as consequence
pariah — The historical caste label
sherpa — A Sherpa person
origami — The paper-folding art
samurai — The samurai warrior
kowtow — The kneeling gesture
sputnik — The artificial satellite
samovar — The tea urn
tundra — The tundra landscape
mukluk — The soft Arctic boot
boycott — The boycott action
braille — The tactile writing system
bwana — The form of address
kava — The kava drink
koala — The koala
cannibal — The human-eater sense
boondocks — The remote place
mahjong — The mahjong game
feng shui — The feng shui practice
kibbutz — The kibbutz community
chutzpah — The chutzpah quality
indaba — The indaba meeting
boma — The boma enclosure
marae — The marae meeting place
didgeridoo — The didgeridoo instrument
moai — The moai statue
piranha — The piranha fish
pampas — The pampas
taiga — The taiga forest belt
wampum — The wampum beads
veranda — The veranda portico
thug — The historical thug
nirvana — The Buddhist nirvana
madrasa — The madrasa school
schadenfreude — The Schadenfreude feeling
quark — The quark particle
cosplay — The cosplay hobby
chaebol — The chaebol conglomerate
hanbok — The hanbok dress
powwow — The powwow gathering
quinine — The quinine medicine
dugong — The dugong animal
griot — The griot storyteller
voodoo — The voodoo religion
khan — The khan title
adobe — The adobe brick
diesel — The diesel fuel
silhouette — The silhouette outline
mentor — The mentor counselor
vandal — The vandal destroyer
utopia — The utopian place
pasteurize — The pasteurize process
maverick — The maverick animal
juggernaut — The juggernaut force
sarong — The sarong garment
paparazzi — The paparazzi photographers
caliph — The caliph title

Map & sources