Marina Vladimirovna Orlova (born December 10, 1980, Gorky) is a Russian philologist and etymologist, the creator and host of the YouTube video channel HotForWords. A native of Nizhny Novgorod who was educated at the local university, she gained international fame by popularizing the etymology of the English language online.[1]

Education and Early Career

Orlova graduated from the Faculty of Philology at Nizhny Novgorod State University in 2002, earning two degrees, a bachelor's and a master's in philology.[1] After graduating, she taught English and world literature in the upper grades of a Moscow school. In 2004 she moved to the United States, intending to improve her English and enter graduate school.[1]

HotForWords

In 2007, Orlova launched the HotForWords channel on YouTube, devoted to the origins of English words and expressions.[2] The videos are released under the motto "Intelligence is Sexy" and cover both everyday vocabulary (irony, OK) and rare words (floccinaucinihilipilification, antidisestablishmentarianism), as well as idioms and neologisms.[1] The channel became one of the most-viewed educational channels on the platform: by 2009 the total number of views of its videos had exceeded 160 million, and its weekly audience was more than a million views.[1][2] Orlova also hosted a show on Maxim satellite radio and maintained the eponymous website HotForWords.com.[1]

Recognition

Wired magazine included Marina Orlova in its list of the ten sexiest geeks in America, and the editors of the same publication gave her the title "Sexiest Geek in the World."[1][2] On YouTube, she earned the status of the most-viewed guru among educational creators.[2]

Connection to Nizhny Novgorod

Orlova was born in Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod) and received her professional education at the Faculty of Philology of Nizhny Novgorod State University, from which she graduated in 2002.[1] It was her philological training in Nizhny Novgorod that became the foundation for her later work popularizing etymology abroad.

Sources

  1. dp.ru — A Graduate of the Nizhny Novgorod Philology Department Teaches America to Speak English
  2. altalang.com — Arousing Word Origins: The Story of the World's Sexiest Philologist — ALTA Language Services