Some English Words and Their Change of Meaning

The gradual change in the significance of the words is the most common factor of the human language. We try to meet the continually occurring needs of expression by using words in temporary deviations from their ordinary senses. And in most of these deviations the new born sense gets the permanence and the primary sense dies out. There are several methods by which the meanings of the words have changed. The principal methods of the changes of meaning are—generalisation, specialisation, elevation, degeneration, polysemy, transference, euphemism, and others. Now let us discuss some English words and the causes of their changes of meanings.

Box: Originally ‘box’ was the name of a tree and the wood from it. For being rare and expensive, box wood was used almost exclusively for making small caskets for keeping jewelleries, ornaments and other valuable things. Then for many years, a box was always made of a particular kind of wood, after which it was named, and was of quite small dimensions. But gradually less importance was given to the material and more to the object. Now we have a box of oak or walnut. Not even that, now we have box of any metal and of any size and also a box at the theatre.

Journey: The word ‘journey’ is derived from the French word jour (i.e. day). The root meaning of ‘journey’ is ‘a day’s walk or ride’. But for long now, in its more ordinary acceptation, it has lost its restricted meaning, so that we may speak, without any seeming incongruity, of ‘a journey of several weeks’ or ‘a lifelong journey’.

Companion & Comrade: ‘Companion’ literally means ‘one who shares same bread with another person’; and ‘comrade’ means ‘one who shares the same room with another person’. But through the generalisation of meaning both the words now denote the meaning ‘friend’.

Deer: The word, ‘deer’ originally meant ‘any kind of animal’. But borrowing the word beast from French, deer has been released to be specialised for one kind of animal only.

Wed: The word ‘wed’ has undergone a specialisation of meaning. Originally it meant ‘to give a pledge, matrimonial or not’. But today, it has come to be restricted to ‘give matrimonial pledge or promise only’; now ‘to wed’ simply means ‘to marry’ and ‘wedding’ is ‘marriage’.

Pioneer: It is a fine example of elevation or amelioration of meaning. This word has an interesting history. At first, it meant ‘one of a body of foot-soldiers who marched with, or in advance of, an army, having spades, pickaxes, etc. to dig trenches and clear and prepare the way for the main body’. There was no dignity of the word. Later, it was extended to mean the settlers in a new country who had similar arduous jobs to do; and later still, to all initiators who generally have to surmount great obstacles. Nowadays we feel no hesitation to use the expression, ‘pioneer in science’.

Fond: ‘Fond’ is another example of elevation of meaning. Fond meant ‘foolish’ even in Milton’s time. But now it means ‘loving’, though perhaps fondness implies only that sort of love which is blind to the defects of the beloved.

Villain: The word ‘villain’ is an example of degradation of meaning. ‘Villain’ originally meant ‘a slave attached to one’s villa or country house’. As many of these slaves were dishonest to their masters, the word gradually came to mean ‘a scoundrel’.

Silly: Earlier ‘silly’ meant ‘happy’; as innocent men are happy, it soon comes to mean ‘innocent’ or ‘blessed’. Then as only foolish people are generally found to be innocent, ‘silly’ comes to mean ‘foolish’.