{"id":4362,"date":"2026-02-28T14:38:49","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T14:38:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?p=4362"},"modified":"2026-02-28T14:38:49","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T14:38:49","slug":"adventures-in-etymology-flowing-rhythms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?p=4362","title":{"rendered":"Adventures in Etymology &#8211; Flowing Rhythms"},"content":{"rendered":"<div itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/AudioObject\"><meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Adventures in Etymology &amp;#8211; Flowing Rhythms\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2026-02-28T14:38:49+00:00\" \/><meta itemprop=\"encodingFormat\" content=\"audio\/mpeg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"duration\" content=\"PT2M30S\" \/><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"What does the word rhythm have to do with flowing? Let's find out in this Adventure in Etymology.\n\n\n\nMeanings of rhythm [\u02c8\u0279\u026a\u00f0.m\u0329] include:\n\n The variation of strong and weak elements (such as duration, accent) of sounds, notably in speech or music, o...\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/flowingrhythms.mp3\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"2.4\" \/><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_2491\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-4362-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/flowingrhythms.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/flowingrhythms.mp3\">https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/flowingrhythms.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/flowingrhythms.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?powerpress_pinw=4362-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/flowingrhythms.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"flowingrhythms.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p>What does the word <strong>rhythm<\/strong> have to do with <strong>flowing<\/strong>? Let&#8217;s find out in this Adventure in Etymology.<\/p>\n<p><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/theilr\/6828301278\/in\/photolist-bpoQ5o-2gJ9Adj-7SnaDZ-5NYa3Z-7AqEiu-os7Wpq-bpoPb9-7gt94z-2UCfxM-2UCeHV-EVSz-2UGBr3-2UC7sF-2UGCAj-2UGC7q-2UChmK-2UGEZW-2UGGN5-7MipXi-2UCe7D-7AmUDR-2UC6P8-7AmUGn-9vyyi7-gymYPL-4LPGmK-qT7pTQ-rnUTCF-3EU4zC-raBeuy-raxJGZ-eiAmk-r6tuBL-M4Rw-3aUpup-3aUGMp-3aVjGt-31sixo-31oR76-3yDCSr-31sr8Q-3yHnkj-BSX5Bu-os7GeJ-4crvi-4iHb7T-9xsKGa-yjAidp-xE5HG7-AKz4c1\" title=\"bodhran by the window\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/7183\/6828301278_96d7c04439_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"512\" alt=\"bodhran by the window\"\/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Meanings of <strong>rhythm<\/strong> [\u02c8\u0279\u026a\u00f0.m\u0329] include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The variation of strong and weak elements (such as duration, accent) of sounds, notably in speech or music, over time; a beat or meter. <\/li>\n<li>A specifically defined pattern of such variation. <\/li>\n<li>A flow, repetition or regularity<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It comes from Latin <em>rhythmus<\/em> [\u02c8r\u02b0yt\u02b0.m\u028as] (rhythm), from Ancient Greek <em>\u1fe5\u1fe0\u03b8\u03bc\u03cc\u03c2<\/em> [r\u0325yt\u02b0.m\u00f3s] (vibration, rhythm, measure, order, form), from Proto-Hellenic <em>*hrut\u02b0m\u00f3s<\/em>, from PIE <em>*sru-d\u02b0-mo-s<\/em> from <em>*srew-<\/em> (to flow, stream) [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/rhythm#English\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>Words from the same roots include <strong>catarrh<\/strong>, <strong>stream<\/strong>, <strong>rheumatism<\/strong> and <strong>rhyme \/ rime<\/strong> in English, <strong>\u03c1\u03ad\u03c9<\/strong> (r\u00e9o &#8211; to flow, run) in Greek, <strong>ritmo<\/strong> (rhythm, pace) in Spanish, <strong>str\u00f8m<\/strong> ([electrical] current, flow, stream) in Danish, <strong>sr\u016bti<\/strong> (to flow, stream, run) in Lithuanian, and <strong>sruth<\/strong> (stream, current, flow) in Irish [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European\/srew-\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>The word <strong>logorrhea<\/strong> (excessive talkativeness, the excessive use of words in writing; excessive and often uncontrollable speaking due to a mental disorder) also comes from the same roots. It&#8217;s made up of <strong>logo-<\/strong> (word speech) and  <strong>-rrhea<\/strong> (flowing), and was possibly modelled on <strong>verbal diarrhea<\/strong> &#8211; <strong>diarrhea<\/strong> also comes from the same roots [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/logorrhea#English\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>Part of the word <strong>maelstrom<\/strong> (a large and violent whirlpool, a chaotic or turbulent situation) is also related. It comes from Dutch <strong>maelstrom<\/strong> (whirlpool), ultimately from PIE <em>*melh\u2082-<\/em> (to crush, grind) and <em>*srew-<\/em> (to flow, stream) [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/maelstrom#English\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/uk\/cgi-bin\/webscr?cmd=_flow&amp;SESSION=aLjPfXL-vP_1gQ_U23Iz8_hSWLlhzLHPMFZrt32dIEfG8htoNFLYaPoWkv8&amp;dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8def8934b92a630e40b7fef61ab7e9fe63\">PayPal<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/omniglot\">Patreon<\/a>, or <a href=\"http:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/donations.htm\">contribute to Omniglot in other ways<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with <a href=\"https:\/\/blubrry.com\/services\/podcast-hosting\/?code=omniglot\">Blubrry Podcast Hosting<\/a>, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code <strong>omniglot<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.japanesepod101.com\/member\/go.php?r=759259&amp;i=b0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/images\/banners\/banner_japanesepod.jpg\" alt=\"The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com\" width=\"630\" height=\"83\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/\">Omniglot Blog<\/a>, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/\">Celtiadur<\/a> blog.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-5001128073855040\"\n   crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- Blog horizontal --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n   style=\"display:block\"\n   data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5001128073855040\"\n   data-ad-slot=\"1685480124\"\n   data-ad-format=\"auto\"\n   data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n   (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/AudioObject\"><meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Adventures in Etymology &amp;#8211; Flowing Rhythms\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2026-02-28T14:38:49+00:00\" \/><meta itemprop=\"encodingFormat\" content=\"audio\/mpeg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"duration\" content=\"PT2M30S\" \/><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"What does the word rhythm have to do with flowing? Let's find out in this Adventure in Etymology.\n\n\n\nMeanings of rhythm [\u02c8\u0279\u026a\u00f0.m\u0329] include:\n\n The variation of strong and weak elements (such as duration, accent) of sounds, notably in speech or music, o...\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/flowingrhythms.mp3\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"2.4\" \/><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_2492\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-4362-2\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/flowingrhythms.mp3?_=2\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/flowingrhythms.mp3\">https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/flowingrhythms.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/flowingrhythms.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?powerpress_pinw=4362-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/flowingrhythms.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"flowingrhythms.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p>What does the word rhythm have to do with flowing? Let&#8217;s find out in this Adventure in Etymology. Meanings of rhythm [\u02c8\u0279\u026a\u00f0.m\u0329] include: The variation of strong and weak elements (such as duration, accent) of sounds, notably in speech or music, over time; a beat or meter. A specifically defined pattern of such variation. A [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[98,97,31,47,56,61,6,4,50,156,11,55,1,120,59,28],"tags":[90,390,391,9,167,15,88,8,389,388,103],"class_list":["post-4362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventures-in-etymology","category-ancient-greek-","category-danish","category-dutch","category-etymology","category-greek-","category-irish","category-language","category-latin","category-lithuanian-lietuviu-kalba","category-music","category-old-english-aenglisc","category-podcast","category-proto-hellenic","category-proto-indo-european","category-spanish","tag-etymology","tag-flow","tag-flowing","tag-language","tag-linguistics","tag-music","tag-omniglot","tag-podcast","tag-rhyme","tag-rhythm","tag-words"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4362"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4362\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4363,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4362\/revisions\/4363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}