# What Other Words Have Lost Their Original Meanings? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 11, 2002, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414 "2002-06-11T08:14:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2002, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/21 "2002-06-11T22:13:46Z")
Freak used to mean someone who stood out, usually in a good way. For example, in Gawain and the Green Knight, the valiant knights are described as freaks. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2002, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/22 "2002-06-11T22:19:55Z")
I’m curius whether words that mean “commonplace” or “ordinary” now were superlatives back in the 1910s or 1920s. I’ve seen ads and catalogs from that era with testimonials like: “I find the Oldsmobile brand of auto-mobiles to be completely satisfactory.” or “The Belvedere house from Sears has proven to be most adequate for our family.” Satisfactory? Adequate? Certainly not glowing recommendations by today’s standards. ---
**Author:** ![nicky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f0a364/32.png) [@nicky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nicky)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2002, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/23 "2002-06-12T00:58:06Z")
Liberal ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2002, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/24 "2002-06-12T01:42:27Z")
> [@](#): > > As most of us should be aware, this used to apply to anyone non-white, but now it is exclusively used (by the PC) for people of an African ancestry Not really. It _originally_ applied only to Africans, was later expanded to mean anyone not European, and has since returned to its (descriptive, not PC) meaning. ---
**Author:** ![Squish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Squish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squish)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2002, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/25 "2002-06-12T03:01:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bordelond \* > **meat - once meant “food”, be it vegetable, animal flesh, or grain.** “Some hae meat an canna eat and some hae none that want it; but we hae meat an we can eat an so the Lord be thankit.” 🙂 A librarian friend of mine informs me that the OED has _six and a half pages_ of definitions for the word **nice** ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2002, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/26 "2002-06-12T03:29:48Z")
In Charles Dickens _“A Christmas Carol”_ Mr. Scrooge warns Bob Cratchitt that if he isn’t careful, he may lose his _"situation’_ [job]. In the more recent Patrick Stewart version, they change it to job, so as not to confuse us :eek: (_please!_). _Sacred_ is an interesting word. In Middle English it was simply the past participial of _sacren_, meaning to consecrate and set aside as holy. _Petty_ hasn’t changed too much in meaning over the years, but it has changed in spelling. It is actually the Anglicized form of the French _petit_, meaning something of a trifling matter–originally only a legal usage. I realize there is no way to list all of the words that have changed this way. But I was curious how many people could come up with just off the top of their heads :). ---
**Author:** ![Fifteen\_Iguana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Fifteen\_Iguana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fifteen_Iguana)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2002, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/27 "2002-06-12T03:57:53Z")
If you enjoy this sort of thing get thee to an Oxford ENglish Dictionary (available on a CD, or two volumes with a magnifying glass, or in 20+ volumes). It starts with the oldest definition of each word and then moves through the centuries. One of my favorite is “engine” which (as I recall) starts as ability or talent, then tool, then machine, then choochoo. Fifteen Iguana ---
**Author:** ![audiobottle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@audiobottle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audiobottle)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2002, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/28 "2002-06-12T04:14:02Z")
My 10th grade English teacher told our class that she remembered when “terrific” meant terrifying, scary, as in: “That rollercoaster was terrific!” Now it just means fun, enjoyable, with out any connection to fear, as in: “Audiobottle sure is a terrific poster!” -Audiobottle ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2002, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/29 "2002-06-12T05:10:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fifteen Iguana \* > \*\*If you enjoy this sort of thing get thee to an Oxford ENglish Dictionary (available on a CD, or two volumes with a magnifying glass, or in 20+ volumes). It starts with the oldest definition of each word and then moves through the centuries. > > One of my favorite is “engine” which (as I recall) starts as ability or talent, then tool, then machine, then choochoo. > > Fifteen Iguana \*\* And yet anoter meaning for engine coming up: From [whatis.com](http://whatis.com) : > [@](#): > > engine > > In computer programming, engine is a jargon term for a program that performs a core or essential function for other programs. An engine can be a central or focal program in an operating system, subsytem, or application program that coordinates the overall operation of other programs. It is also used to describe a special-purpose program containing an algorithm that can sometimes be changed. The best known usage is the term search engine ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2002, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/30 "2002-06-12T05:15:38Z")
And yet “another” one not checking preview. :sigh: ---
**Author:** ![red\_dragon60](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@red\_dragon60](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/red_dragon60)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2002, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/31 "2002-06-12T06:58:12Z")
Didn’t havoc originally mean “no quarter”? As in, take no prisoners, kill everyone? Now it seems to mean general disorder. It is either this one, or another word, that means basically, “kill every fourth person.” Also latin. Anyone know? ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2002, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/32 "2002-06-12T09:56:47Z")
There are too many right answers for this to fit into GQ. Off to MPSIMS. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/33 "2002-06-13T03:37:54Z")
I think there is room for at least one more example. _Ignoramus_ is an interesting word. It originally meant “we take no notice”, and was sent back by a grand jury when it could find no grounds for an indictment. Then it appeared in George Ruggle’s 1615 play of the same name (I’m getting all this info from my dictionary, which has a little summarized story about it). And now of course it means someone who doesn’t know something, although the last place I actually heard it used was on the Three Stooges. BTW, havoc was originally only used in the phrase _“cry havoc”_, meaning to sound the alert that a war has started (in my dictionary, this could either be an alert to start the pillaging or simply a warning). In Shakespeare’s _Julius Caesar_ Mark Anthony says “Cry havoc! and let slip the dogs of war.” ---
**Author:** ![ResIpsaLoquitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@ResIpsaLoquitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ResIpsaLoquitor)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/34 "2002-06-13T04:04:32Z")
One of my college professors loved to point out that the word _great_ really doesn’t have **any** meaning anymore. It’s just a generic “good” now. How was that movie? Great! My team won. Great! Wanna have sex? Great! …and so on. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2002, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/35 "2002-06-14T01:41:44Z")
Another interesting word is **hope**. At one time, mainly a religious word, it meant to wish for, but at the same time have faith that it will occur. But it also took on the colloquial meaning of simply to wish for, to desire. Now the original meaning has almost completely been replaced by the colloquial meaning–even in formal usage. E.g., “We hope the will soon be an end to the violence in the Middle East” means we strongly wish for and desire it–but we don’t necessarily have faith that is what will happen. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/36 "2026-02-24T20:48:00Z")
Reviving an old thread because I encountered two examples this week of words that used to have completely different meanings. Chauffeur Modern meaning: A person hired to drive somebody else’s car. Old meaning: A group of thieves in 19th century France who tortured their victims with fire into revealing where they had hidden valuables. The word is derived from the French word _chauffer_, which means to heat something. Turtle Modern meaning: A hard shelled reptile. Old Meaning: A kind of bird that we now call a pigeon. This came from the Latin _turtur_, which was based on the sound the birds made. So turtles used to fly and chauffeurs used to rob you. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/37 "2026-02-24T21:12:35Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Turtle > Modern meaning: A hard shelled reptile. > Old Meaning: A kind of bird that we now call a pigeon. This came from the Latin _turtur_, which was based on the sound the birds made. According to [Wikipedia,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_turtle_dove) these two usages of “turtle” are unrelated. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/38 "2026-02-24T21:18:36Z")
Since the thread’s been bumped anyway: **OK:** Used to mean “everything’s good, there are no problems”. Now it more commonly means “Mediocre, average, acceptable but not exceptional.” It hasn’t _quite_ lost it’s old meaning, when someone says “I’m ok” after a minor mishap they mean “I’m not seriously injured”, not “I’m average”, but it seems like the newer meaning has mostly taken over. Chevrolet used to brand their used car dealerships as “OK Used Cars”. When younger people see this in old media it prompts them to ask “Why would I buy a used car that’s just ‘OK’?” But of course the intended meaning was to communicate that the cars have been inspected to insure that they have no problems (basically a predecessor to “Certified Pre-Owned”). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/39 "2026-02-24T21:23:22Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > According to [Wikipedia,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_turtle_dove) these two usages of “turtle” are unrelated. Sorry, I thought I was clear. I understand the two meanings are unrelated. But it’s one word with two different meanings. The old meaning of turtle, which meant a bird, came from the Latin word _turtur_. Back then the reptiles that we now call turtles were called tortoises. This came from the Latin _testudo_, which meant shelled, via the French _tortue_. At some point the words tortoise and turtle were similar enough that English speakers began using the word turtle to name the reptile. The word tortoise then began to mean the aquatic reptiles. The birds were given a retronym, turtledove, to distinguish them from the reptiles. This usage is mostly remembered from the Christmas song. The word turtledove was shortened to dove. The word dove dervies from the Old Norse _dufa_. The word pigeon, which is also used to describe birds which were once called turtles, derives from the French _pijon_, which used to just mean a young bird. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/40 "2026-02-24T21:33:33Z")
“Vixen” these days typically means a sexually attractive, usually also a forceful or clever woman. It _used_ to be an insulting label for a woman, essentially the same as the modern usage of “bitch”. If I had to guess _why_ (not an etymologist), it would be a combination of “bitch” taking its place, the decline in the percentage of people in agriculture meaning that fewer people dislike foxes in the first place, and backwards-analogizing from the slang term “foxy” for an attractive woman. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414.md?page=3)