A trip to the cinema (specifically, the IFC Center in NYC) introduced me to a charming web site / film company that researches and then produces short animated films about the origins of words. You’ll need to go and see a movie at the IFC to catch any of the shorts, but it’s worth the price of a movie-ticket (especially if you enjoy the main feature) for any word-detectives out there.

I discovered the origin of the word “bewilder”: a more complex and interesting etymology than you might think.

http://www.mysteriesofvernacular.com/