The word 'salary' comes from 'salarium' — Roman soldiers were sometimes paid in salt

The word 'quarantine' comes from 'quaranta giorni' — 40 days ships waited in Venice during plague

'Quarantine' originates from 'quaranta giorni' of Venice's plague-era ship isolation

Sushi originally meant fermented fish preserved in rice — the rice was discarded, not eaten

Sushi: fermented fish in rice, rice discarded, not consumed

Chili peppers are native to the Americas — they didn't exist in Asian cuisine before Columbus

Chili peppers originated in the Americas, not Asia, pre-Columbus era

Beer was first brewed around 5,000 BC in Mesopotamia — some of the oldest recipes survive

Beer originated circa 5,000 BC in ancient Mesopotamia

OK is the most widely understood word in the world — origins debated since the 1830s

"OK" origin debates began in the 1830s, with no single definitive source

The word 'algorithm' comes from al-Khwarizmi, a 9th-century Persian mathematician

'Algorithm' derives from Al-Khwarizmi's name, pioneering mathematician