{"id":1426,"date":"2020-09-22T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-22T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/?p=1426"},"modified":"2020-09-18T09:48:09","modified_gmt":"2020-09-18T09:48:09","slug":"surprising-etymology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/curiosity\/surprising-etymology\/","title":{"rendered":"When \"Nice\" Meant \"Foolish\" and \"Bully\" Meant \"Lover\" \u2014 Common Words With Surprising Origins"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/curiosity\/surprising-etymology\/#Positive_Negative_Meanings\" >Positive &amp; Negative Meanings<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/curiosity\/surprising-etymology\/#Narrower_Broader_Meanings\" >Narrower &amp; Broader Meanings<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/curiosity\/surprising-etymology\/#Metaphorical_Meanings\" >Metaphorical Meanings<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/curiosity\/surprising-etymology\/#%F0%9F%93%8C_Takeaways\" >\ud83d\udccc Takeaways<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>Nope, nothing is wrong with your eyesight: <em>nice<\/em> once meant \u201cfoolish.\u201d And that\u2019s not all: <em>girl<\/em> meant \u201cyoung person (in general, including young men)\u201d and <em>vile<\/em> didn\u2019t always mean \u201cevil\u201d; it just meant \u201ccheap\u201d! If you find this interesting, read on to find out what other words have evolved dramatically over time and why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Positive_Negative_Meanings\"><\/span>Positive &amp; Negative Meanings<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>One way words change is by becoming positive or negative. For example, <em>pretty<\/em> in Old English meant \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.etymonline.com\/word\/pretty#etymonline_v_19482\">sly<\/a>\u201d and <em>nice<\/em> in Middle English meant \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.etymonline.com\/word\/nice#etymonline_v_6918\">foolish<\/a>\u201d! Then over time, their meanings changed to the positive one they currently have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In general, it\u2019s more common for words to gain negative meanings. For example, the word <a href=\"https:\/\/www.etymonline.com\/word\/bully\"><em>bully<\/em><\/a>, meant \u201clover\u201d or \u201csweetheart\u201d in the 1500s only to become \u201charasser of the weak\u201d just around 100 years later.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/drawings\/u\/0\/d\/sK0DovDUM689SVo-JwanUnQ\/image?w=624&amp;h=384&amp;rev=33&amp;ac=1&amp;parent=1ubA0jtRVh7F6nob_klYN-WX7aJxSuVnMMrcim9Fsg7I\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>A more modern example is <em>attitude<\/em>, which now primarily refers to bad attitudes. For example, if someone says \u201cPeter has an attitude,\u201d they probably think Peter is rude or immature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also, words that meant \u201cinexpensive\u201d took on a negative meanings over time. For example,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><em>vile<\/em> (evil, unacceptable, disgusting) originally meant \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.etymonline.com\/word\/vile\">low value<\/a>\u201d in Latin<\/li><li><em>cheap<\/em> went from meaning just \u201cinexpensive\u201d (\u201c$100 for a computer? That\u2019s cheap!\u201d) ) to also being a synonym for \u201cstingy\u201d (\u201cJohn is really cheap. He won\u2019t even buy his wife a birthday present!\u201d)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Narrower_Broader_Meanings\"><\/span>Narrower &amp; Broader Meanings<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Some words have broadened in meaning while others have narrowed. For example, the word <em>girl<\/em> in Middle English referred to <a href=\"https:\/\/en.oxforddictionaries.com\/definition\/girl\">any young person<\/a>, regardless of their gender. But as we now know, the meaning has since narrowed to \u201cfemale child.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/drawings\/u\/0\/d\/s4nwNpLm_HXyqgg_kKSVVGQ\/image?w=624&amp;h=384&amp;rev=77&amp;ac=1&amp;parent=1ubA0jtRVh7F6nob_klYN-WX7aJxSuVnMMrcim9Fsg7I\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>A similar thing happened to the word <em>meat<\/em>. In a Bible from 1611, God says to Adam and Eve, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kingjamesbibleonline.org\/1611_Genesis-1-29\/\">to you they (i.e. herbs and fruit) shall be for meat<\/a>.\u201d God is not suggesting that Adam and Eve become vegetarian. At the time, the word meat referred to food in general.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So girl and meat are two examples of words whose meanings have narrowed. On the other hand, many words have gained broader meanings.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For instance, the word <em>holiday<\/em> used to just refer to \u201choly days.\u201d Now they are simply days off, which can still be religious, but don\u2019t necessarily have to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition, many terms related to horses gained broader meanings and became common in everyday life \u2014 even after we stopped regularly using horses. We\u2019re all familiar with words and expressions like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><em>ponytail<\/em> (tied up hair)<\/li><li><em>horse around<\/em> (rough, noisy play)<\/li><li><em>hold your horses<\/em> (to halt or pause something)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>But did you know that the word <em>manage<\/em> used to mean to handle a horse? Or that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?tbm=isch&amp;q=bob&amp;chips=q:bob,g_1:hairstyle:AVRfLCwPyqs%3D&amp;usg=AI4_-kS8BxJvIiZlqL7qv9rbhnuIxP7qQw&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiisaj9w9flAhWFdXAKHeH7DicQ4lYILCgB&amp;biw=1440&amp;bih=765&amp;dpr=1\"><em>bob<\/em><\/a> (a style of short hair) originally meant \u201ca horse\u2019s tail cut short.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Metaphorical_Meanings\"><\/span>Metaphorical Meanings<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Words can also take on metaphorical meanings. A <em>chapter<\/em> literally refers to a chapter in a book, but can metaphorically refer to a period in your life (\u201cthe newlyweds started a new chapter in life\u201d) or, in North America, a branch of an organization (\u201ca local chapter of the Red Cross\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And have you ever wondered why the word <em>book<\/em> appears in phrases like \u201cbook train tickets\u201d or \u201cbook a hotel room\u201d? This usage comes from the meaning \u201cto enter into a book\u201d (i.e. to be recorded). When you enter the train company\u2019s record books, you\u2019ve <em>booked<\/em> a train ticket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A more dramatic example is the word <em>engine<\/em>, which meant \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.etymonline.com\/word\/engine\">inborn talent<\/a>\u201d in Middle English. This sense of the word \u201cengine\u201d was, however, replaced with a metaphorical meaning: things created by people with inborn talent \u2026 specifically this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/drawings\/u\/0\/d\/sSN2LQkrAGOsvizoJxrdrgA\/image?w=615&amp;h=371&amp;rev=40&amp;ac=1&amp;parent=1ubA0jtRVh7F6nob_klYN-WX7aJxSuVnMMrcim9Fsg7I\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>(Interestingly, we can still find the \u201cinborn talent\u201d meaning in words like \u201cingenious\u201d and \u201cengineer\u201d!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%F0%9F%93%8C_Takeaways\"><\/span>\ud83d\udccc Takeaways<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>As we\u2019ve seen, English words have changed a lot, and are continuing to change even today. What does this knowledge mean for our teaching?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, it can make us more understanding of our students. Language-learners often use old-fashioned words (e.g. \u201chandsome\u201d) or an outdated sense of a word (e.g. \u201cerect\u201d to mean \u201cstanding, upright\u201d).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After all, how are students supposed to know that the meanings of these words have narrowed drastically? Most English speakers also aren\u2019t aware that the meaning of \u201cgirl\u201d and \u201cmeat\u201d narrowed!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to helping us better relate to our students, this knowledge can also make us better at explaining words. For example, since writing this post, I\u2019ve noticed that the word \u201cemotional\u201d sounds pretty negative (\u201cX is so emotional!\u201d), although it originally meant \u201crelated to emotions.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next time a student asks me about this word, I can explain how it got this meaning: it originally was a neutral word and that like many others in the English language, it gained negative meanings over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Happy tutoring!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nope, nothing is wrong with your eyesight: nice once meant \u201cfoolish.\u201d And that\u2019s not all: girl meant \u201cyoung person (in general, including young men)\u201d and vile didn\u2019t always mean \u201cevil\u201d; it just meant \u201ccheap\u201d! If...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":137,"featured_media":1427,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"unified_meta_tagline_field":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-curiosity"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>When &quot;Nice&quot; Meant &quot;Foolish&quot; and &quot;Bully&quot; Meant &quot;Lover&quot; \u2014 Common Words With Surprising Origins | Engoo Tutor&#039;s Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/curiosity\/surprising-etymology\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"When &quot;Nice&quot; Meant &quot;Foolish&quot; and &quot;Bully&quot; Meant &quot;Lover&quot; \u2014 Common Words With Surprising Origins | Engoo Tutor&#039;s Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Nope, nothing is wrong with your eyesight: nice once meant \u201cfoolish.\u201d And that\u2019s not all: girl meant \u201cyoung person (in...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/curiosity\/surprising-etymology\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Engoo Tutor&#039;s Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-09-22T00:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/09\/18094526\/nice-foolish.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1534\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" 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