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Semantic change (also semantic shift, semantic progression, semantic development, or semantic drift) is a form of language change regarding the evolution of word usage—usually to the point that the modern meaning is radically different from the original usage.
After a word enters a language, its meaning can change as through a shift in the valence of its connotations. As an example, when "villain" entered English it meant 'peasant' or 'farmhand', but acquired the connotation 'low-born' or 'scoundrel', and today only the negative use survives. Thus 'villain' has undergone pejoration.
[O]riginally, the Greek Septuagint translation of the Old Testament passed the word 'proselyte' into modern languages with a neutral meaning. It simply meant a convert, someone who changed his or her opinion or religion. And, proselytism meant the attempt to persuade someone to make such a change.
The word "pressed" connotes a certain weight put on someone. It could mean being upset or stressed to the point that something lives in your mind "rent-free," as Black Twitter might say. Or, in ...
Neologisms are often formed by combining existing words (see compound noun and adjective) or by giving words new and unique suffixes or prefixes. [9] Neologisms can also be formed by blending words, for example, "brunch" is a blend of the words "breakfast" and "lunch", or through abbreviation or acronym, by intentionally rhyming with existing words or simply through playing with sounds.
The Japanese word kaizen means 'improvement' or 'change for better' (from 改 kai - change, revision; and 善 zen - virtue, goodness) without the inherent meaning of either 'continuous' or 'philosophy' in Japanese dictionaries or in everyday use.
Computers are shaping our minds in plentiful ways. By various reports, long stretches of screen time are making us less empathetic, more empathetic, less connected, more connected, less productive ...
(“How to wardrobe-build!” “Find your uniform!” “Try this 3-word style identification method!”) It framed personal taste as a commodity that was always just one add-to-cart away.