Episode 7

full
Published on:

23rd Jan 2026

Episode 7: convention

The etymology of "convention" is simple enough—it means a "coming together," combining the Latin roots for "together" and "to come." But how does this idea of a physical meeting develop into our idea of customary practices and social norms? We look at a brilliant passage from Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America for clarification.

Suggest a word for a future episode or support this podcast at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wordswordswords

Music: Adapted from Sonatine by Maurice Ravel, performed by Irene Posviatovska (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

---

https://originalpublicmeaning.com

Show artwork for Original Public Meaning

About the Podcast

Original Public Meaning
Exploring the ancient roots of modern words
Where do our modern English words come from? And what do their long histories tell us about our own ideas and the wider world? On Original Public Meaning, we unearth the ancient foundations of our language and consider how its vast, rich literature—fiction, essays, science, and more—can help us savor our words today.
Support This Show

About your host

Profile picture for Charles McNamara

Charles McNamara

Director of Greek and Latin Language, University of Minnesota