11 words whose meanings have completely changed over time

Remember when cloud meant "mass of rock?"

The surprising journeys of some everyday words.
(Image credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Occasionally you will encounter someone with an etymological axe to grind. They insist that a certain word has to mean just what it meant hundreds of years ago when it was first spoken: For example, that decimate has to mean "kill exactly one tenth." This is what's known as the etymological fallacy. If you don't feel like arguing with the person, here are 11 reasons you can just respond with "Nice!"

1. Nice

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James Harbeck

James Harbeck is a professional word taster and sentence sommelier (an editor trained in linguistics). He is the author of the blog Sesquiotica and the book Songs of Love and Grammar.