Words That Changed Meaning Over Time: Nice, Awful, Silly and More

Silly. In Old English sælig meant "blessed" or "happy". Then it came to mean "innocent", then "pitiable", then "foolish".

Villain. From Latin villanus, a farm worker, it came to mean a low-born person, then a wicked one.

Gay. Once meant "joyful, carefree". In the twentieth century it became primarily associated with homosexuality, and older senses became rare.

Notorious. Originally just "well-known", now nearly always "famous for something bad".

Words that narrowed

Some words once had broad meanings that shrank.

Meat. Once meant "food" in general, as in "meat and drink".

Hound. Once meant "dog" in general. Now it means a hunting dog.

Girl. In Middle English, it could mean a young person of either sex.

Deer. Once meant any animal, and now only a particular family.

Words that widened

Dog. An old word for a particular breed, it came to cover all canines.

Place. From a Greek word for a broad street, it now covers any location.

Decimate. Originally meant to kill one in ten, a punishment in the Roman army. Today it commonly means "destroy a large part of", though some traditionalists object.

Words that reversed

Literally. Now often used as an intensifier ("I literally died"), which many dictionaries record while noting that some people find it objectionable.

Terrific. Originally "causing terror". Now "excellent".

Sick. In informal speech, sometimes "excellent".

Bad. In some slang, "good".

Why meanings change

• Metaphor and extension: words stretched to new uses.
• Politeness and taboo: replacing blunt words with softer ones, which then acquire the blunt sense.
• Fashion: words are used more, in more ways.
• Social change: attitudes shift.
• Technology: mouse, cloud and tablet have new senses.

Why old texts can mislead

If you read Shakespeare or Jane Austen, some words mean something different from what you'd assume. Presently once meant "immediately"; prevent meant "go before". A good dictionary with historical information helps.

Change is normal

Language change isn't decay. Dictionaries describe how words are used, not just how they were used. Meanings that seem "wrong" today can become tomorrow's standard.

Practice

Choose three words from this article and read their full dictionary entries. Note the etymology and whether older senses are labelled obsolete or archaic.

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