Episode 8

full
Published on:

27th Jan 2026

Episode 8: ramify

Like many of our words, "ramify" borrows its meaning from the natural world—in this case, from the complex branches of a tree. Today, we use "ramify" and "ramifications" to discuss all kinds of matters, not just trees, such as the future consequences of important historical events. In this episode, we explore the broadest ramifications taking place over millions of years in Charles Darwin's 1859 text on natural selection, The Origin of Species.

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