Language is constantly evolving. Some words that once meant only one thing now have other definitions. Here are a few words that used to mean only one thing but now have additional meanings.
Fierce
Traditional meaning: Having a savage and violent nature; ferocious. See synonyms at cruel.
Modern or colloquial meaning: A term used first primarily by gay men in the late 1990s and early 2000s to describe absolutely everything that was of "exceptional quality".
Crazy
Traditional meaning: brainsick; affected with madness or insanity; "a man who had gone mad"
Modern or colloquial meaning: cool; very nice, ex.; "Dude, that movie was crazy!" or "Those shoes are crazy!"
Stupid
Traditional meaning: lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity
Modern or colloquial meaning: can be used to amplify positive words; ex.,"Dude, that hot dog was stupid good!" or "Your mom is mad stupid hot, yo!"
Wicked
Traditional meaning: morally bad in principle or practice
Modern or colloquial meaning: in the US synonym for; really, very, extremely. In the UK synonym for; cool, good, great, funky. Ex.; 1. That tune is wicked hot 2. That tune is wicked!
Do you have any words that are an example of this?
10 comments:
"Sick" Traditional meaning: in bad or grave health. Not well. Not healthy.
Today SICK is the ultimate compliment: some thing, some one, or some quality that stands head and shoulders above the rest. Superior.
Odd that.
One.
"Hip": initially meant a part of the upper legs with a joint connecting to the body.
In the 1960' came to mean, "informed and comprehending the latest trends or the somewhat secret information that one shares with another,e.g. "I'm hip" meant I understand and I "second that emotion."
Today, "hip" means: a part of the upper legs with a joint connecting to the body.
@Lin
Sick is a good one.
@Francis
And some people use hip to mean I understand or I know. Example; Yeah man I'm hip to that.
How about a more recent evolution in usage, a subcultural one. The term "G" originated with Five Percenters and originally stood for 'God.' Only later did it become the short hand usage for 'Gangsta.'
Philly is crazy with this stuff.
Where I came from "decent" meant marginal, here it means great or far above the norm.
"young bull" is male cow everywhere else, here it is any young man.
"Jawn" or any unintelligable word that sounds like it. traditional meaning???? street meaning, "thing"...
This jawn right here is decent.
where I grew up...
bra, short for brazier... or relaxed version of "bro" short for brother... the root word of Brohammas
@?
Wow, I didn't know that. I always thought the use of, "G" was born with the gangsta rap genre.
Btw, are the Five Percenters still around? I used to hear about them all the time but I haven't heard about them in a long while.
@brohammas
"Jawn", is a good one. Since it's traditional meaning was colloquial and it's new meaning is also.
I noticed that there was a 'Black Power Conference' held this past may in Atlanta by the New Black Panther Party. The Five Percent Nation was listed among attendee groups, and Erykah Badu and Andre 3000 were there-both of whom are Five Percenters, I believe.
So they are still around.
@?
Interesting, thanks.
Post a Comment