fayax

I knew of a few but the rest of the list is pretty interesting...


Artificial

This originally meant ‘full of artistic or technical skill’. Now its meaning has a very different slant.



Nice

This comes from the Latin ‘not to know’. Originally a ‘nice person’ was someone who was ignorant or unaware.


Awful

This meant ‘full of awe’ i.e. something wonderful, delightful, amazing. However, over time it has evolved to mean exactly the opposite.


Brave

This once was used to signify cowardice. Indeed, its old meaning lives on in the word ‘bravado’.


Manufacture

From the Latin meaning ‘to make by hand’ this originally signified things that were created by craftsmen. Now the opposite, made by machines, is its meaning.


Counterfeit

This once meant a perfect copy. Now it means anything but.


Prove

Originally this meant to test. The old meaning survives in the phrase ‘proving ground’.


Tell

Its original meaning was ‘to count’. Which is how we came by the term ‘bank teller’.


Anyone know of others that changed their meanings over the years?

chachi

the word gay used to mean weird, ahh the good old days =\

fayax

GAY used to mean happy.

chachi

and weird aswell, unless the dude in the lecture was lying to us =\

fayax

Where was the lecture ?

fayax

BTW google used to be the name of a website. Now it means to search the web.

FairyTale

chachi

new yawk

zobia

fayax, thank you for linguistic introductory lecture.
now move it to appropriate section

fayax

Its the history of meanings of words. I prefer to keep it in the history.

maroush

Ooooo i love Etymology!!! *re-adjusts nerdy glasses*

queer

No: used to mean no, but now means yes at times when a girl says it.