President Trump has repeatedly called tariffs "the most beautiful word in the dictionary." NPR's Word of the Week explores how they got their name.

When a dire disease strikes, it's easy to slip into war terms to describe the experience. But that sort of talk turns life into two outcomes: winning and losing. And that's not the way life works.

Scientists have found a cluster of rhythmic brain cells in newborn mice that may explain why spoken languages around the world share a common tempo.

Some linguists find that younger people tend to see text messages that end with a period as passive-aggressive, or otherwise negative.