Over time language changes, and those living through recent times couldn’t fail to be aware of that. Thanks to the Internet, blogs and social media, the English language is evolving faster than ever before, and opinion on many new words and additions to the dictionary is split. While new words are being added all the time, the etymology of words that have been around a long time is also changing.
Recently we’ve seen words like ‘twerking’ and ‘selfie’ added to the Oxford English Dictionary, and usage itself is changing grammar all the time; how long before ‘must of’ becomes grammatically acceptable I wonder?
However, while the language has never changed so fast, it has been changing forever. Those who want no evolution surprise me, especially as they are usually educated folk, who must have read works from Shakespeare to Charles Dickens right up to modern writing, and they most of all should appreciate the evolution of our beautiful language.
Anyway, I digress, where were we?
Ah yes, the evolution of words, and if you’re a wordsmith then you may be surprised at the actual meanings and etymology of some of the words you may use every day. Enjoy.
Decimate – This is a fairly well used word in language, and one that is used often in the media to mean ‘destroy completely’, but did you know that to decimate is a Roman military term used to mean ‘reduce by a tenth, usually a troop’. Obliterate would be a better word to use to mean completely destroy, but decimate remains popular and its usage has probably changed forever.
Hysteria – Usually used to mean the furore that surrounds celebrity arrivals, and often used in the media, hysteria comes from the Greek hystera. Only women were thought to suffer from the ‘condition’, and throughout Victorian times, hysteria was often ‘cured’ by doctors who would bring their patients to paroxysm (orgasm) in surgery – I’m not making this up!
Literally – Here’s a recent one and it’s been a bugbear for many. Literally means to actually do something, yet in recent times it’s been used ironically in speech in phrases such as ‘I am literally dying for a cuppa’. I’ll agree that ‘I am figuratively dying for a cuppa’ doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, but just ‘I’m dying for a cuppa’ would probably do. Recently the OED has recognised the ironic usage and noted it in the dictionary, to the chagrin of many.
Raze – This is a bonus one as its usage is the perfect example of tautology. I never see the word razed in the media without seeing the words ‘to the ground’ following it. To raze is to completely destroy something to the ground, so to add those words is perfect tautology.
I hope you enjoyed those, if you have any of your own, add them in the comments.
Word of the Day – Firkin
Word of the Day – Collocation
‘Transpire’ seems to be almost universally used incorrectly. It isn’t a synonym for ‘happen’ but means ‘come to be known’. Quite a useful word but now hopelessly enfeebled. And I’m infuriated when I hear people – politicians are often the guilty ones here – saying that they ‘refute’ some allegation made against them when all they are doing is denying it. To refute is to disprove and requires evidence and argument, not just an assertion of your innocence! (I must own up to using ‘literally’ carelessly myself sometimes, however. Nobody’s perfect.)
Momentarily means “for a moment” not “in a moment.” Flash bulbs emit light momentarily. The plane will be at the gate in a moment. Unfortunately, the receptionist is usually correct when he/she says “The doctor will be with you momentarily.”
The weather can be seasonal. Mashed potatoes are seasonable. There might be a meteorologist somewhere who recognizes this, but I haven’t come across one yet.
As with “literally”, dictionaries have given up and now list the common usage definitions for both of these words, usually without comment.
‘Return back’!
“Aggravate” really aggravates my temper.
“Gay”.
Need I say more?
Dilapidate – it means with stones falling down. A stone house can be dilapidated, but a wooden one can’t.
Very unique: aaaargh!