• the post of tom joad@sh.itjust.works
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    3 months ago

    Well gosh darnit the study of etymology is gonna want a word (hehe) with you. a faggot used to be an old unpleasant woman who was like baggage, as difficult to carry around as a bundle of sticks which was also called a faggot. Brits smoke fags.

    Literally is another example. Through use, it now has a secondary definition which is exactly the opposite of its primary one. (figurative, emphasis)There are less popular examples but your premise as i understand it is just wrong friend

    • morrowind@lemmy.ml
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      3 months ago

      I didn’t say the main meaning can’t change, just that you can’t remove it from said meaning by using it in a different context

        • morrowind@lemmy.ml
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          3 months ago

          The main meaning of a word can change, but at any given time, you can’t use the word in a different context, and expect how people receive it to be completely divorced from its current main meaning

          • Zier@fedia.io
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            3 months ago

            This is true, which is why context matters. Like if you love a song so much and say, “That’s sick!”, people might think you mean “ill” and assume something negative.