"Be nice" (an etymology thread)

[Stella_Omega]

I just complimented someone in a thread; "Nice post!"

The very first, original meaning for the word "Nice" is "Precise, Exact"

Since then it's come to mean, "Likeable, ingratiating, pleasing."

I like both definitions. But I think I use the early meaning more often than the current one...

What other words have changed their meanings, and why do you think they might have?

 

[tickledkitty]

gay

I don't know. It used to mean happy, cheerful. What does that have to do with being a homosexual? I haven't found them to be any more cheerful than the rest of the population.

 

[The_Fool]

couple

Depends on whether used as a noun, verb or adjective. I see the verb used less often.

 

[neonlyte]

couple

Depends on whether used as a noun, verb or adjective. I see the verb used less often.

As a couple of words, quite unique annoys the hell out of me. Unique is one of a kind, not almost, nearly, quite or kind-of one of a kind.

 

[manyeyedhydra]

gay

I don't know. It used to mean happy, cheerful. What does that have to do with being a homosexual? I haven't found them to be any more cheerful than the rest of the population.

I think the word 'gay' is moving on again.

The 'yoof' of the internet, especially Americans have co-opted it to mean 'rubbish', 'crap', 'something only their kid sister would ever like listening to', etc, etc.

As in:
'that new album by Metallica is really gay.'

Language can be a slippery customer sometimes.

 

[Carnevil9]

The word "liberal" has certainly changed it's meaning since the days when Thomas Jefferson proudly claimed the label.

 

[buxxxom]

I just complimented someone in a thread; "Nice post!"

The very first, original meaning for the word "Nice" is "Precise, Exact"

Since then it's come to mean, "Likeable, ingratiating, pleasing."

I like both definitions. But I think I use the early meaning more often than the current one...

What other words have changed their meanings, and why do you think they might have?

Literally.

The first meaning for the word means in the strictest sense, or actually and without exxageration. Now, not only is the usage different, it's entirely opposite. "He literally blew his top," Pam remarked when describing her husband's flat tire.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Amen.

This one is interesting. It was in our Easter cantata, what I'm about to repeat. In Biblical times, amen was used at the beginning of a conversation, meaning "what I'm about to tell you is true." Now, it's used at the closing or benediction of a statement.

 

[oggbashan]

I just complimented someone in a thread; "Nice post!"

The very first, original meaning for the word "Nice" is "Precise, Exact"

Since then it's come to mean, "Likeable, ingratiating, pleasing."

I like both definitions. But I think I use the early meaning more often than the current one...

What other words have changed their meanings, and why do you think they might have?

That's a nice point.

Aggravate is another changed word. It originally meant to dig a ditch, an agger. When you aggravated there would be a corresponding heap, a berm. So aggravate changed to mean "to pile up" and then became a synonym for "exacerbate" to make worse, to annoy.

Up to 1939 the word "alternative" could only be used to compare two, and only two things that were alternate. So you could travel to somewhere by bus or train. Those were the only alternatives. After 1939 some anonymous Civil Servant used "to provide alternative accommodation" when rehousing bombed-out civilians. The alternatives were multiple - houses, flats, hotels, hostels etc. The phrase "alternative accommodation" passed into common usage and alternative just meant "other".

Og

 

[elfin_odalisque]

The word "liberal" has certainly changed it's meaning since the days when Thomas Jefferson proudly claimed the label.

It's even funnier than that. A European 'liberal' is a 'conservative'. In UK, it, theoretically means a politics of small government and laissez faire, and only in the US has it got the meaning of 'Social Democrat' or 'of the left'.

Neon, can I add 'very real' to 'almost unique' - I won't mention 'friendly fire'.

 

[NoJo]

What other words have changed their meanings, and why do you think they might have?

algorithm, Brazilian

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

GENDER originally meant 'breed' then degenerated to a euphemism for 'fuck.' In disfavor, gender was replaced with a series of other words, like intercourse and sex and coitus. Gender was resurrected in the late 19th Century and used to distinguish masculine and feminine words.

In the 1950s a professor used gender for non-sexual traits and characteristics. Today people confuse gender with sex.

 

[oggbashan]

"Friendly fire" has been overtaken by "Blue on Blue".

It happens in almost all wars when the situations are confused or weapons of imprecision are deployed.

After D-Day in Normandy the troops' joke was:

"When the British bomb, the Germans take cover.
When the Germans bomb, the Allies take cover.
When the Americans bomb, EVERYBODY takes cover."

At St. Lo that was unfortunately proven to be correct.

Og

 

[elfin_odalisque]

I just complimented someone in a thread; "Nice post!"

The very first, original meaning for the word "Nice" is "Precise, Exact"

Since then it's come to mean, "Likeable, ingratiating, pleasing."

I like both definitions. But I think I use the early meaning more often than the current one...

What other words have changed their meanings, and why do you think they might have?

Sorry, but you're wrong. The very first meaning of 'nice' is ignorant - it came into English from Latin and French (nescient). The meaning you cite only started around the 15thC and is pejorative.

'That is a nice point' means a petty, finnicky, sticking to the rules, attitude rather than the spirit of the law.

The prob is the word has been a mongrel all its life and now probably is past use.

 

[elfin_odalisque]

"Friendly fire" has been overtaken by "Blue on Blue".

It happens in almost all wars when the situations are confused or weapons of imprecision are deployed.

After D-Day in Normandy the troops' joke was:

"When the British bomb, the Germans take cover.
When the Germans bomb, the Allies take cover.
When the Americans bomb, EVERYBODY takes cover."

At St. Lo that was unfortunately proven to be correct.

Og

(I know really) but isn't 'Blue on Blue' Hillary v. Obama'?

 

[Stella_Omega]

GENDER originally meant 'breed' then degenerated to a euphemism for 'fuck.' In disfavor, gender was replaced with a series of other words, like intercourse and sex and coitus. Gender was resurrected in the late 19th Century and used to distinguish masculine and feminine words.

In the 1950s a professor used gender for non-sexual traits and characteristics. Today people confuse gender with sex.

Didn't know this one, JBJ.
I have confused "gender" with "sex" and will never again do so.

 

[NoJo]

Didn't know this one, JBJ.
I have confused "gender" with "sex" and will never again do so.

you can gender off into the blue sky afaic

 

[Stella_Omega]

you can gender off into the blue sky afaic

I tried that, but I bruised my butt when it was all over. That's a long way to fall!

 

[rgraham666]

If Jefferson were around today the 'conservatives' would hate him as much as they hate 'Hitlery' and Hussein.

As long as we're at it conservative is a word that has changed. It used to mean some one who wanted to conserve things. Now it means people whose political intent is outright revolution.

 

[CharleyH]

I just complimented someone in a thread; "Nice post!"

The very first, original meaning for the word "Nice" is "Precise, Exact"

Since then it's come to mean, "Likeable, ingratiating, pleasing."

I like both definitions. But I think I use the early meaning more often than the current one...

What other words have changed their meanings, and why do you think they might have?

FAG is on the top of mind. I am sure that some Brits still use it to refer to cigarettes, but in N.A. it can be a derogatory reference to homosexual men. Great thread, Stell. I hope this stays on top of lit.

 

[Stella_Omega]

FAG is on the top of mind. I am sure that some Brits still use it to refer to cigarettes, but in N.A. it can be a derogatory reference to homosexual men. Great thread, Stell. I hope this stays on top of lit.

The word originally referred to a bundle of kindling wood. I *think* but am not sure that using it to mean cigarette and homosexual are more or less synchronous changes.
Why do you think the word changed its meaning?

 

[CharleyH]

The word originally referred to a bundle of kindling wood. I *think* but am not sure that using it to mean cigarette and homosexual are more or less synchronous changes.
Why do you think the word changed its meaning?

A guess on my part. I can guess why smoking might refer to gay male activity. If a cig was a fag in Britain, then it makes sense that smoking a phallic thing like a fag (cig), would be called a fag eventually. I want to know why a lesbian is a dyke? That confuses me more.

 

[neonlyte]

A guess on my part. I can guess why smoking might refer to gay male activity. If a cig was a fag in Britain, then it makes sense that smoking a phallic thing like a fag (cig), would be called a fag eventually. I want to know why a lesbian is a dyke? That confuses me more.

The Dutch - the finger in the hole ?

Or maybe because dykes used to wear caps?

 

[oggbashan]

A guess on my part. I can guess why smoking might refer to gay male activity. If a cig was a fag in Britain, then it makes sense that smoking a phallic thing like a fag (cig), would be called a fag eventually. I want to know why a lesbian is a dyke? That confuses me more.

One of the words for a gay man was "faggot" as a bundle of wood tied together.

Fag for cigarette is of different origin but faggot was shortened to "fag".

Og

 

[CharleyH]

One of the words for a gay man was "faggot" as a bundle of wood tied together.

Fag for cigarette is of different origin but faggot was shortened to "fag".

Og

And the word dyke come from?

 

[Xelebes]

gay

I don't know. It used to mean happy, cheerful. What does that have to do with being a homosexual? I haven't found them to be any more cheerful than the rest of the population.

Gay became a euphemism for any form of immoral sex in the 19th century.