Even if you’re not a full-blown grammar nerd, you’ll find the origins of these words that changed meaning over time completely fascinating The English language is alive—and like any living thing, it ...

The word “sanguine” has two definitions. The first refers to an adjective that describes someone, who is optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation. The second is a ...

An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt. Impact Link The English language is, indeed, a quirky one: it's notoriously difficult to learn, and often words have more than one meaning. Some of these ...

Thanks to the evolution of language, technology, and lots of hyperbole, these words used to convey a lot more merit, emotion, or simply seriousness than they do nowadays. Ah, “genius.” Once reserved ...

Word meanings can shift radically, just like pronunciation. Called semantic change, a shift in a word's meaning occurs when frequent misuse becomes standard, or when metaphoric use becomes literal.

Many say that the success and stability of Western Civilization is predicated on observance of the rule of law. True enough. Having laws in place that are meaningful and enforced provides clarity and ...

Words matter. They have power; the power to define us, our stories, our relationships. They are how we make meaning of our experiences and sense of our world. It is easy to assume others share our ...

The word “labyrinthine” is an adjective that means something that is intricate and confusing. It can also mean something that ...

The Dictionary.com Chrome Extension makes going to a dictionary website redundant. Dictionary.com Extension is for everyone who isn’t blessed with a memory like the Oxford English Dictionary. If ...

Senior Evan Tionquiao said he used to follow the dictionaries’ selections “back when words had meaning, prior to ‘brain rot’ ...

Words have no intrinsic meaning. That is to say that the words don’t have meaning in and of themselves. Words are symbols of thoughts. We attach thoughts to words. The degree to which those ...