Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

---

Thinking about switching to tech? TripleTen helps people go from zero experience to real tech jobs: get.tripleten.com/WordsUnravelled
Book a free career call to find out which role fits you best.

Rob and Jess are talking tech! In this episode, they explore the linguistic origins of terms from technology, Sci-fi and the internet.
🧌 Who was the first internet troll?
🤖 What does 'robot' literally mean?
🔫 Does Jedi actually mean something?
⌨️ Are we pronouncing 'meme' correctly?
These questions answered, and a whole lot more, in an extra nerdy episode of Words Unravelled.

🚨ROBWORDS LIVE🚨
Ticket: ucl.ac.uk/bloomsbury-theatre/events/2026/apr/evening-etymology-rob-words

👕 OUR MERCH 👚
US SHOP: wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com
EU/UK SHOP: wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.net

👂LISTEN: podfollow.com/words-unravelled-with-robwords-and-jess-zafarris
or search for "Words Unravelled" wherever you get your podcasts.

==LINKS==
Rob's YouTube channel: youtube.com/robwords
Jess' Useless Etymology blog: uselessetymology.com
Rob on X: x.com/robwordsyt
Jess on TikTok: tiktok.com/@jesszafarris

#etymology #wordfacts #English