Words: what do you mean by that?

I came across a fun article at Huffpost on how may words have changed meaning over the years: "An ‘Accidental Dictionary’ Explores How Errors Created The English Language."

In The Accidental Dictionary by Paul Anthony Jones you'll find tidbits such as:

“Clumsy” once meant “numb with cold.” “Hallucinate” once meant “deceive,” and “prestigious” once meant “deceitful.” “Queen” once meant “wife.”

More:

. . . a cupboard was originally a table, and that pink was originally yellow (and in that sense probably derives from pinkeln, an old German dialect word meaning “to urinate”).

Makes you wonder--what if every word in your story changed meaning over time?

For what it’s worth.

Ray

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© 2017 Ray Rhamey

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