# A Word for 'Funny' That Doesn't Mean Something Else Too. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 25, 2010, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-for-funny-that-doesnt-mean-something-else-too/533704 "2010-03-25T03:16:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-for-funny-that-doesnt-mean-something-else-too/533704/21 "2010-03-25T08:06:41Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I thought that was the point. The words have other meanings. Funny can mean weird (this steak tastes funny.) Humorous can mean “related to humor.” It wasn’t abundantly clear in the OP which particular sense of ‘funny’ he wanted an unabiguous word for. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-for-funny-that-doesnt-mean-something-else-too/533704/22 "2010-03-25T08:10:16Z")
I propose: Mirthful. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-for-funny-that-doesnt-mean-something-else-too/533704/23 "2010-03-25T08:38:33Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > Your post might just be a joke. Since others the thread seems to have taken that post at face value, let me note that it was Joe Pesci’s “You think I’m funny?” scene from Goodfellas. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-for-funny-that-doesnt-mean-something-else-too/533704/24 "2010-03-25T08:39:40Z")
> [@Shmendrik](#): > > So you want a word with no etymology which means funny and nothing else? > > Here’s one: > > Rafrelohdd. 🙂 Well done. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-for-funny-that-doesnt-mean-something-else-too/533704/25 "2010-03-25T10:20:19Z")
All words (with some rare exceptions) have an etymology. They didn’t start out meaning what they mean now, and in a few decades or a few centuries they will mean something else. You can’t have a word whose meaning stays the same with something as culturally bound as the idea of humor. Perhaps there are some very specific, very universal terms that tend not to change in the history of languages, but as a general rule every word’s meaning in language changes over time. ---
**Author:** ![Negative\_Lite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Negative\_Lite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Negative_Lite)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-for-funny-that-doesnt-mean-something-else-too/533704/26 "2010-03-25T10:59:07Z")
ROTFLMFAO LOL!!!111 lolz and 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-for-funny-that-doesnt-mean-something-else-too/533704/27 "2010-03-25T11:57:35Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > All words (with some rare exceptions) have an etymology. They didn’t start out meaning what they mean now, and in a few decades or a few centuries they will mean something else. You can’t have a word whose meaning stays the same with something as culturally bound as the idea of humor. Perhaps there are some very specific, very universal terms that tend not to change in the history of languages, but as a general rule every word’s meaning in language changes over time. I can’t see much change in the history of my suggestion (mirthful) - it’s a descendant of words meaning (and sounding like) ‘merry’. ---
**Author:** ![BDoors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BDoors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BDoors)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-for-funny-that-doesnt-mean-something-else-too/533704/28 "2010-03-25T12:28:30Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I can’t see much change in the history of my suggestion (mirthful) - it’s a descendant of words meaning (and sounding like) ‘merry’. _merry_ O.E. myrige “pleasing, agreeable,” from P.Gmc. \*murgijaz, which probably originally meant “short-lasting” (cf. O.H.G. murg “short,” Goth. gamaurgjan “to shorten”). Connection to “pleasure” is likely via notion of “making time fly” –Online Etymology Dictionary I agree with **Wendell Wagner** and others-- if you go back far enough, all words probably emerged from the sort of figurative usage that led to “merry”. Maybe the only exceptions would be very fundamental words like “me” and “dad”. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-for-funny-that-doesnt-mean-something-else-too/533704/29 "2010-03-25T12:59:51Z")
Negative Lite wins lulz ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-for-funny-that-doesnt-mean-something-else-too/533704/30 "2010-03-25T13:08:48Z")
> [@BDoors](#): > > _merry_ > O.E. myrige “pleasing, agreeable,” from P.Gmc. \*murgijaz, which probably originally meant “short-lasting” (cf. O.H.G. murg “short,” Goth. gamaurgjan “to shorten”). Connection to “pleasure” is likely via notion of “making time fly” > –Online Etymology Dictionary > > I agree with **Wendell Wagner** and others-- if you go back far enough, all words probably emerged from the sort of figurative usage that led to “merry”. Maybe the only exceptions would be very fundamental words like “me” and “dad”. Fair enough - I just didn’t find that one in my searches. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-for-funny-that-doesnt-mean-something-else-too/533704/31 "2010-03-25T13:49:35Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > All words (with some rare exceptions) have an etymology. They didn’t start out meaning what they mean now, and in a few decades or a few centuries they will mean something else. You can’t have a word whose meaning stays the same with something as culturally bound as the idea of humor. Perhaps there are some very specific, very universal terms that tend not to change in the history of languages, but as a general rule every word’s meaning in language changes over time. This is the OP’s answer. Compare it to the porcelain fixture that you use for elimination of urine and feces - “Toilet” - originally meant a towel wrapped around the shoulders for hairdressing, then meant the whole process of hairdressing, then meant the table and mirror used for hairdressing, then meant the whole process of getting dressed “Lavatory” - refers to the washbasin, not the toilet “Water Closet (W.C.)” - refers to the tank used to store water for flushing “Commode” - originally referred to a piece of furniture, a low cabinet, one which was often used to store a chamber pot And so on … So by going through all the etymology, you could conclude that English has no word for toilet. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-for-funny-that-doesnt-mean-something-else-too/533704/32 "2010-03-25T14:46:52Z")
Here is the Swadesh list of 200 words (well, actually, meanings of words) that tend to be fairly stable in languages: > **[Swadesh list](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swadesh_list)** > > The Swadesh list (/ˈswɑːdɛʃ/) is a classic compilation of tentatively universal concepts for the purposes of lexicostatistics. Translations of the Swadesh list into a set of languages allow researchers to quantify the interrelatedness of those languages. The Swadesh list is named after linguist Morris Swadesh. It is used in lexicostatistics (the quantitative assessment of the genealogical relatedness of languages) and glottochronology (the dating of language divergence). Because there are several... This entry also gives the Swadesh-Yakhontov list of 35 words that tend to be really stable. Other than these sorts of words, though, it’s untypical to find words that have stable meanings in any language. We can expect words to be slowly changing in meaning over the decades and centuries as a general rule. Languages are not stable things. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-for-funny-that-doesnt-mean-something-else-too/533704/33 "2010-03-25T15:01:52Z")
> [@Shmendrik](#): > > So you want a word with no etymology which means funny and nothing else? > > Here’s one: > > Rafrelohdd. Sorry – in my family, we use that word to mean “of or relating to rafrels”. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-for-funny-that-doesnt-mean-something-else-too/533704/34 "2010-03-25T16:55:31Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I thought that was the point. The words have other meanings. Funny can mean weird (this steak tastes funny.) Humorous can mean “related to humor.” Read my post in a Joe Pesci voice then try again. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-for-funny-that-doesnt-mean-something-else-too/533704/35 "2010-03-25T19:11:16Z")
You’re not gonna like hysterical, I’m guessing. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-for-funny-that-doesnt-mean-something-else-too/533704/36 "2010-03-25T22:31:47Z")
I should have added the following to my last post: The words in the 200-word list given in the link in that post aren’t completely stable either. You can expect about 20% of them to change in meaning (or just drop completely out of the language) over a period of 1000 years. Even the words in the shorter 35-word list aren’t completely stable. You can expect something like 5% or 10% of them to change in meaning (or drop out of the language) over a period of 1000 years. Words generally change meanings in languages faster than you might expect. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-for-funny-that-doesnt-mean-something-else-too/533704/37 "2010-03-25T22:35:19Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > Disregard. Dude, that’s not even close. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-for-funny-that-doesnt-mean-something-else-too/533704/38 "2010-03-25T22:54:39Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > “Water Closet (W.C.)” - refers to the tank used to store water for flushing I don’t think that’s correct - I believe the water closet is the S Bend - trapping water, **closing** off the soil pipe, preventing the ingress of noxious gases. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-for-funny-that-doesnt-mean-something-else-too/533704/39 "2010-03-25T22:58:32Z")
Laughable? ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-for-funny-that-doesnt-mean-something-else-too/533704/40 "2010-03-25T23:38:53Z")
“Laugh” goes back to a Indo-European word meaning just “make a sound.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-for-funny-that-doesnt-mean-something-else-too/533704.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-for-funny-that-doesnt-mean-something-else-too/533704.md?page=3)