Wednesday, October 27, 2010

The word Nice

I went to mass and the priest mentioned how the word, "nice" had different definitions when it first made its way into the English language. During that time, the word meant coy, unscrupulous; far from kind, gentle and sweet of describing in what we mean today.

When did this word change? How many words have gone through this change? I know the word, "gay" has undergone a linguistic transformation as probably many words have. One only has to consult the Oxford English Dictionary in which a history of the word is given from its first usage to the present to prove that point.

Does anyone appreciate what a glorious gift we have been given in terms of language? Do we even care?

I for one am curious and will have to pick my words a bit more wisely.

Just don't call me nice.

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