Kory Stamper

Kory Stamper, lexicographer who decodes how language shapes color names. Bill Gifford, health writer exploring how controlled heat can boost resilience. They unpack why color names change perception and buying choices. They also explore how saunas, hot baths, and heat exposure trigger physiological adaptations and surprising health links.

Kory Stamper, lexicographer and author of True Color, unpacks Pantone’s rise to cultural authority. They explore how Pantone standardized color, the rituals around swatch books, controversies like licensing disputes and tone-deaf Color of the Year choices. Short, sharp looks at naming’s power, color forecasting, and the industry pushback that questions who really owns color.

Kory Stamper, former Merriam-Webster editor and author of True Color, explores the quirky world of color names. She recounts odd dictionary definitions, the web of cross-references like “begonia,” and the clash between color science and commercial naming. Conversations cover Pantone, Munsell mapping, archives that reshaped entries, and why even “gray” and “grey” can be treated as different colors.

Kory Stamper, lexicographer and author who spent years at Merriam-Webster, guides a romp through mid-20th-century quests to pin down color names. They explore odd labels like begonia, average coral, and sea pink. Conversations jump from archival detective work and color-measurement labs to the tension between scientific standards and everyday perception.

Kory Stamper, a lexicographer at Merriam-Webster, discusses the making of dictionaries, including how they are created for languages without dictionaries, the changing role of dictionaries online, and the surprising historical origins of words. The podcast also explores the value of Australian dictionaries, the challenges of language documentation, and the importance of sign language dictionaries.