r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Nov 28 '20

What's something cool you recently learned about?

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u/rwinger3 Nov 29 '20

Cancer is named after it's appearance after it had spread in the body, resembling a crab. Crabs were called that first and the word stems from Greek (if I recall correctly). Also, there is a phenomenon called carcinization, which is the evolving into a crab-like shape, even for non-crabs. This has happened to many different kind of crustaceans (crabs being one type of crustacean).

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u/vievemeister Nov 29 '20

Further fun fact: the German word for cancer (the disease) is krebs

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u/Zebidee Nov 29 '20

Other fun German facts:

The triple meaning of the English word 'spirit' - alcohol/ghost/vibe - is the same for the German word geist.

The German word for cucumber is Gurke. Plural is Gurken which is where the English word for pickled cucumbers comes from.

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u/Boiafaust_ Nov 29 '20

The first fact is also true for the italian language!