# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/61 "2026-02-27T15:44:46Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > “Deer” used to mean any wild animal. Hence, “wilderness” is literally “wild deer -ness”, where the wild things are. > [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > “Weird” used to mean “destiny” or “fate.” In MacBeth, the three “weird sisters” are evocative of the Greek “Three Fates.” It’s a direct reference to the Norns, the three sisters who controlled destiny in Germanic myth: Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld. “Wyrd” is the English version of Norse “Urd”. And “Weird” is the Scots version. These three sisters are analogous to the Greek Fates, but Shakespeare and his audiences would have directly known about the Germanic versions. > **[Etymology - wyrd - Wiktionary, the free dictionary](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wyrd#Etymology_2)** > > From Proto-West Germanic \*wurdi, from Proto-Germanic \*wurdiz, from Proto-Indo-European \*wr̥ti-, a verbal abstract from the root \*wert- (“to turn”) . ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/62 "2026-02-28T04:29:02Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > Hence, “wilderness” is literally “wild deer -ness”, where the wild things are. “Where the DEERS are….” Neil Sadaka, RIP. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/63 "2026-02-28T06:52:44Z")
George Carlin’s take on the “flammable” variants. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WyaJr22YOYY/hqdefault.jpg "George Carlin - Flammable") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyaJr22YOYY) ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/64 "2026-02-28T06:56:11Z")
[![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Q8mD2hsxrhQ/hqdefault.jpg "Inflammable means flammable?") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8mD2hsxrhQ) ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/65 "2026-02-28T07:03:15Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > inflammable has come to mean non-inflammable I have never heard that, and if you used the word that way, I would 100% misunderstand you, and imo that would be your fault, not mine. Cf., surely if someone told you their skin looks inflamed, that would bring to mind an image of it not being totally fine. > [@Chronos](#): > > The word “inflammable” should never be used I rarely see it used, for the exact reason you mention, but when it is (e.g., “inflammable coal gas”), inflammable = flammable, consistent with what I have always been taught. On labels there is also usually a graphic hazard icon… ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/66 "2026-03-01T02:03:27Z")
“Geek” originally referred to weirdo carnival performers who would eat. . . weird stuff for the public. In the 1970s, Riverside CA had “Geek Fests,” where (non-carnival) geeks would eat odd foods for the public. From there, it evolved to mean non-carnival weirdo, and further to ‘brainy weirdo,’ to, more or less, just ‘brainy dude/dudette.’ Similar to ‘nerd,’ which originally meant weirdo/misfit, then ‘brainy misfit,’ but at this point has lost most of its ‘misfit’ luster, and (IME), is pretty similar to ‘geek.’ ---
**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:** [March 1, 2026, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/67 "2026-03-01T02:51:43Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > just ‘brainy dude/dudette.’ Speaking of which, “dude” originated in the western US in the late 19th century, and was originally kind of an insult meaning something like “city slicker” or “dandy” (It’s thought to be a shortening of “doodle”, as in Yankee Doodle Dandy). Now it’s basically just a slang word for “guy”. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/68 "2026-03-01T13:18:54Z")
One that often catches people out in the UK; ‘forest’ used to mean land designated as royal hunting grounds, rather than implying anything about tree coverage. There’s several moorlands which have ‘forest’ in the name, and it’s often assumed by visitors that the trees were sadly felled but the name hung on, but nope. Many of them were moorlands when named, as they are today. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/69 "2026-03-01T17:00:17Z")
The correct original term was “inflamable,” but people began to take the “in-” prefix to mean negation (eg, “insane,” “inarticulate,” “injustice,” etc.). So people started using “flammable” to avoid the confusion. In 1954, “flammable” became the more common term. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/70 "2026-03-01T17:05:28Z")
How about **churl** (a free peasant of the lowest rank)? ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/71 "2026-03-01T18:38:08Z")
[Quote Investigator article](https://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/10/31/st-pauls-cathedral) on the story about St Paul’s Cathedral described as amusing, awful, artificial, pompous, and terrible. tl,dr: King Charles II did say it was artificial. He didn’t use any of the other words. **Mayhem** : Now means a state of rowdy disorder, which could be either bad or good. Anything from a fun party to a riot could be called mayhem. Originally a variation of the word _maiming_, that is to cause severe injury to or removal of a limb. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/72 "2026-03-01T18:53:12Z")
Capt. Robert Falcon Scott described Antarctica as both being ‘awful’ and ‘terrible.’ Given the times, I assumed that that meant something ‘awe inspiring’ and ‘scary as hell.’ ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/73 "2026-03-01T18:55:01Z")
“Orientated” originally meant “facing east.” Now it can be facing any direction. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/74 "2026-03-02T19:30:43Z")
I find it irritating that “gaslighting” has lost its original meaning. Based on the movie, it used to refer to nefarious attempts to convince someone that they were going insane. It has morphed into meaning “you’re lying to me”. Typical usage of “gaslighting” online involves cranks who are upset that someone is using facts and evidence to counter their bullshit. Even some rational folks have started misusing the term, so correcting people is pretty much a lost cause. ---
**Author:** ![Noelq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noelq/32/16438_2.png) [@Noelq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noelq)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/75 "2026-03-02T19:36:00Z")
To refer back to the great Robert Heinlein: The word **Kinky**. Originally meant to be tightly curled, or having twists and bends in it. Nowadays, it usually refers to non-usual sexual practices. The characters in a story is yelled at because he calls a woman’s very tightly curled hair “kinky”. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/76 "2026-03-02T19:57:42Z")
**Willy-nilly** : Current meaning: in a disorganized or unplanned manner; sloppily. Original meaning: whether you like it or not, will-ye-or-nill-ye. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/77 "2026-03-02T20:31:41Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Capt. Robert Falcon Scott described Antarctica as both being ‘awful’ and ‘terrible.’ Given the times, I assumed that that meant something ‘awe inspiring’ and ‘scary as hell.’ At that point in time, terrible mean ‘inspiring terror’ as in HMS Terrible. > **[HMS Terrible (1895)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Terrible_(1895))** > > HMS Terrible was the second and last of the Powerful-class protected cruisers built for the Royal Navy (RN) in the 1890s. She served on the China Station and provided landing parties and guns which participated in the Siege and Relief of Ladysmith in the Second Boer War in South Africa. A few months later she did much the same thing to help suppress the Boxer Rebellion in China. During this time, her captain was Percy Scott, who trained his crew to a high standard in gunnery and had his train... To my generation this sounds like something from _The Navy Lark_. ---
**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:** [March 2, 2026, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/78 "2026-03-02T20:49:51Z")
**Nimrod:** Originally a biblical figure who was known as a mighty hunter. Now, it’s often used to mean a dimwitted or stupid person, supposedly because of a cartoon Bugs Bunny used it sarcastically to refer to Elmer Fudd. Along the same lines as the Terrible, the Royal Navy also had an HMS Nimrod. And the RAF had a plane called the Nimrod. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/79 "2026-03-02T21:00:57Z")
Yeah; Elgar’s _Nimrod_ is a very popular tune played at funerals, and in the UK there is no association with stupidity. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414/80 "2026-03-02T21:14:18Z")
> [@eburacum45](#): > > At that point in time, terrible mean ‘inspiring terror’ as in HMS Terrible. Yes, Antarctica inspired terror–it was scary as hell. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-words-have-lost-their-original-meanings/113414.md?page=5)