{"id":4529,"date":"2026-07-25T14:55:45","date_gmt":"2026-07-25T14:55:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?p=4529"},"modified":"2026-07-25T14:55:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T14:55:45","slug":"adventures-in-etymology-awkwardly-odd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?p=4529","title":{"rendered":"Adventures in Etymology &#8211; Awkwardly Odd"},"content":{"rendered":"<div itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/AudioObject\"><meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Adventures in Etymology &amp;#8211; Awkwardly Odd\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2026-07-25T14:55:45+00:00\" \/><meta itemprop=\"encodingFormat\" content=\"audio\/mpeg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"duration\" content=\"PT1M41S\" \/><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"In this Adventure in Etymology we discover the odd origins of the word awkward.\n\n\n\nMeanings of awkward [\u02c8\u0254\u02d0k.w\u0259d \/ \u02c8\u0254k.w\u025ad] include: lacking dexterity in the use of the hands, or of instruments; not easily managed or effected; embarrassing; lacking s...\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/awkwardlyodd.mp3\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"1.6\" \/><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_4479\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-4529-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/awkwardlyodd.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/awkwardlyodd.mp3\">https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/awkwardlyodd.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\/awkwardlyodd.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?powerpress_pinw=4529-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/awkwardlyodd.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"awkwardlyodd.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p>In this Adventure in Etymology we discover the odd origins of the word <strong>awkward<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/hz536n\/51166901189\/in\/photolist-2kXrK6x-BAfwe-cxwNfd-2nwYPx7-5SqcCx-6jTMZN-dq8jko-5GjdJP-4yUtba-eoiyVZ-9LSXn-2kQDr8A-bB7jXY-a4Wfn3-7tx6mT-2prNoK1-7rgV3Q-naWQVg-d956uQ-2iZZdbp-8DnSSf-uoafD-otxa55-2qKjJQU-8osyCr-m6hxz-naMdFw-2WBSK-azwAxH-LQV9m-8d9STh-7AevoB-bVDgh2-v4mrP-2raP493-bmmZGZ-igNXzK-kSZCV-7e6zpX-7bLfzx-668inY-6YgRdU-ghXcZk-QCjvaY-eh8hYK-71bmjW-jGeXkz-9pttgJ-57QjTk-b8YRHp\" title=\"Awkward!\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51166901189_e36aa12e5f_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"457\" alt=\"Awkward!\"\/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Meanings of <strong>awkward<\/strong> [\u02c8\u0254\u02d0k.w\u0259d \/ \u02c8\u0254k.w\u025ad] include: lacking dexterity in the use of the hands, or of instruments; not easily managed or effected; embarrassing; lacking social skills, or uncomfortable with social interaction; difficult to handle.<\/p>\n<p>It comes from <strong>awk<\/strong>, an obsolete word meaning odd, out of order, perverse, wrong or clumsy, and <strong>-ward<\/strong>, a suffix denoting course or direction to, motion or tendency toward, and so on [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/awkward#English\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p><strong>Awk<\/strong> comes from Middle English <em>auk(e)<\/em> (backhanded, perverse, wrong, strange, marvelous), from Old Norse <em>\u01ebfugr<\/em> (turned the wrong way, unkind, harsh), from Proto-Germanic <em>*abuhaz<\/em> (inverted, wicked, bad), from PIE <em>*h\u2082\u00e9poh\u2083k\u02b7os<\/em>, from <em>*h\u2082ep\u00f3<\/em> (off, away) and <em>*h\u2083ek\u02b7-<\/em> (to see, eye)  [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/awk#English\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>Words from the same roots include <strong>\u00f6fugur<\/strong> (reversed, backwards, wrong) in Icelandic, <strong>avig<\/strong> (backwards, inside out) in Swedish, <strong>opak<\/strong> (opposite) in Czech, and <strong>\u043e\u043f\u0430\u043a<\/strong> (opak &#8211; wicked, nefarious, dastardly) in Macedonian [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic\/abuhaz\">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; Awkwardly Odd\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2026-07-25T14:55:45+00:00\" \/><meta itemprop=\"encodingFormat\" content=\"audio\/mpeg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"duration\" content=\"PT1M41S\" \/><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"In this Adventure in Etymology we discover the odd origins of the word awkward.\n\n\n\nMeanings of awkward [\u02c8\u0254\u02d0k.w\u0259d \/ \u02c8\u0254k.w\u025ad] include: lacking dexterity in the use of the hands, or of instruments; not easily managed or effected; embarrassing; lacking s...\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/awkwardlyodd.mp3\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"1.6\" \/><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_4480\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-4529-2\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/awkwardlyodd.mp3?_=2\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/awkwardlyodd.mp3\">https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/awkwardlyodd.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\/awkwardlyodd.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?powerpress_pinw=4529-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/awkwardlyodd.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"awkwardlyodd.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p>In this Adventure in Etymology we discover the odd origins of the word awkward. Meanings of awkward [\u02c8\u0254\u02d0k.w\u0259d \/ \u02c8\u0254k.w\u025ad] include: lacking dexterity in the use of the hands, or of instruments; not easily managed or effected; embarrassing; lacking social skills, or uncomfortable with social interaction; difficult to handle. It comes from awk, an obsolete [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[98,33,20,56,29,4,145,58,11,64,1,57,59,30],"tags":[471,470,90,9,167,15,88,8,103],"class_list":["post-4529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventures-in-etymology","category-czech","category-english","category-etymology","category-icelandic","category-language","category-macedonian-","category-middle-english","category-music","category-old-norse-dnsk-tunga","category-podcast","category-proto-germanic","category-proto-indo-european","category-swedish","tag-awk","tag-awkward","tag-etymology","tag-language","tag-linguistics","tag-music","tag-omniglot","tag-podcast","tag-words"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4529","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\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4529"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4529\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4531,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4529\/revisions\/4531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}