Word Origins Quotes

“In French printer's jargon, cliche (which mimicked the sound of a mold striking molten metal) was a synonym for stereotype, which in turn evolved from the Greek for "solid impression." A stereotype was a printing plate that duplicated typography and that was used by the printer in lieu of the original.
So a cliche is a word or phrase used over and over again in lieu of the original.”
― Constance Hale, Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose

“The bad angels were the jinn, and the good angels were the jinn too, and we spoke to them both in the desert. In Arabic, jinn has the same root as the word for paradise, jenna. The word for jinn and the word for paradise both have the same root as the word for madness, junun. To be close to the jinn is to be close to madness, is to be even closer to paradise.”
― Hannah Lillith Assadi, Sonora

“_Vacuum tubes_ are known as _valves_ in England. This is based on the fact that they can be used to control the flow of electricity, similar in concept to the way in which their mechanical namesakes are used to control the flow of fluids.”
― Clive Max Maxfield, Bebop to the Boolean Boogie: An Unconventional Guide to Electronics