Meanings Change - Words that have Changed Meanings Over Time
It's been so long since I've posted! GAH! Sorry, school has been hectic.
Today I want to focus on some words whose meanings have changed since they were created.
First up comes "fantastic".
Originally coming from the same root as "fantasty", fantastic used to mean that something could only happen in your wildest dreams. Now it's used as an equivalent to "amazing" or "awesome". All of these are overused in my opinion.
Second come words like "nice" and "silly" that completely changed meanings!
Nice originally meant something foolish, or simple. Now it's one of the most common compliments around.
Silly originally meant blessed, but now it's just the opposite, meaning foolish or weak.
Lastely we come to words like "myriad".
Myriad used to mean, specifically, having 10,000 of something. Now it's diminished to just having an abudance.
Some words become arbitrary, diminished, or completely opposite of their original meanings! It just goes to show that language is constantly changing.
Bibliography:
