Etymology: how words change over time

Etymology is the study of the origin of words.

As languages ​​develop, the meaning of words can change over time. This causes confusion and misunderstanding when communicating with other people.

In a world where you live from communication, advertising or marketing, it is not only important to have clarity in your message, it is also important to think about your target market and understand how they understand words and messages.

On the positive side of words changing meaning over time, languages ​​have been observed to stay alive, adapt and grow over time.

An example would be the word nice. Nice used to be an insult and meant dumb or stupid in the 13th century and went through many changes until the 18th century with meanings such as wanton, flamboyant, elegant, strange, modest, thin and shy or shy. Now it means good and nice or considerate and kind.

Foolish meant blessed or happy in the 11th century and passed for pious, innocent, harmless, pitiful, and feeble-minded before ending up as foolish or stupid.

Fairly started out as cunning, changed to clever or skillfully done, then to fine, and ended as beautiful.

Some other changes are:

Word ______ Original Meaning

Horrible________ Worthy of awe

Account _________Prayer

Courageous_________ Cowardice (as in bravado)

Girl__________ Young person of any sex

Neck_________ Plot of land (as in neck of the woods)

Discomfort______ Injury, damage

Sophisticated___Corrupt

There are several reasons why words change meaning. One is the influence of other languages ​​and cultures. Throughout history, many nations through conquest or mixing with each other, introduced their own languages ​​into the mix. Another reason is the predominant use of jargon words. We get so used to using them that many times we forget that we are not even.

So when it comes to defining words, there is the standard dictionary, which by the way can show multiple meanings for a word, and there is the definition of the word in slang.
Furthermore, slang words spread faster and are used more frequently than ever before, making them commonplace in many societies.

Due to the advancement of science and technology, new words are also being created at an amazing rate. Keeping up with some of the new words and your use of them will help you in your efforts to understand and become a master of communication.

Once every ten years, the Merriam-Webster dictionary is updated. Its 11th edition from 2003 included some 10,000 new words along with 100,000 new meanings of existing words and some 225,000 revised definitions.

Some of the slang words that have made it into the dictionary are;

Headbanger: hard rock musician and fan

Dead Presidents- Paper Money

Prairie Gophering: People looking over their cubicles at work.

McJob – Low-paid, dead-end job.

Comb over an attempt to cover a bald spot

You can learn more words in an etymology dictionary.

We can use this as another reminder, especially when achieving a group goal is important, that what a word means to us may not mean the same to someone else.

There is also the emotional reactions that different people have for certain words. But that is another story…

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