Words that have taken on a different meaning over time

In the threads here at TTFP there has been some scattered discussions of words that have taken on a different meaning over time. Some words clearly don't mean what they used to, while others kept their original meaning while also taking on a new meaning. I thought it might be interesting to have thread on the topic.


What words, common or relatively obscure, do you know of that fit either or both categories?


Slut. This used to be, and still is to a certain extent, a derogatory term for a woman who had numerous sexual partners and/or showed little discretion in her sexual activities. Obviously what qualified/qualifies as "slutty" was/is in the eye of the beholder. These days some women use the term slut openly without, and with, malice (IME men still need to be very careful about using the term slut).

Punk, punk, punking. I remember when punked referred to homosexual activity, usual as a pejorative. That activity could range from prostitution to semi-voluntary submission. It was usually derogatory.

Gay. OK, I'm cheating here, it's been many decades since gay referred to being overtly happy, full of life, etc.

Geek. It used to mean a really weird person, who was not necessarily someone who was bookish or smart.

Nerd. A person who wasn't quite a geek, but was very socially awkward, and wasn't necessarily bookish or smart.

 

When I was a kid, "punk" was a perjorative for a kid from a lower-class background, potentially a juvenile delinquent. There was no homosexual implication at all.

By the 1980s, "punk" was a stylistic term, coming out of "punk rock" music. A young woman with a "punk" hairstyle might be referred to, perhaps admiringly, as a "punker".

 

Yes, punk has had many meanings over the years. Unfortunately I got stuck on meanings based on something else that I posted in another thread. Oops !

I use awesome rarely and carefully.

Fantastic. Its informal meaning (superb, excellent) seems to have displaced its original meaning (absurd, far fetched).

Dude. Seriously, dude, I remember when dude was used to mean a guy overly concerned with his clothing, usually to the extinct of being overdressed. Back then if somebody asked, "Dude, where are you headed?" it basically meant "Why are you (over)dressed like that?". Ages ago here in Texas, and in other states, dude meant someone who tried too hard to dress like a cowboy; an alternate term was "drugstore cowboy."

 

I think Saturday Night Live played a role in making "slut" less shocking. For years, they had a recurring skit every week which was a parody of the "Point/Counterpoint" feature on 60 Minutes. Jane Curtin would present some liberal point of view for one minute, followed by Dan Ackroyd doing the conservative response. Ackroyd always started with "Jane, you ignorant slut!"

Some years back, an online friend of mine co-wrote a book about sex and BDSM, titled The Ethical Slut. The book has gotten a surprisingly wide audience, and plainly has influenced the way the word is used.

 

I have to tell this story about dudes/drugstore cowboys. I've known quite a few over the years (thanks a bunch, Urban Cowboy, for making cowboy wear hip for a while ).

One guy wore cowboy hats, old fashioned western shirts (sometimes the button flap ones), elaborate western belts with even more elaborate belt buckles, jeans (tucked into his boots of course), & cowboy boots. To top it off he also wore dusters (the long western range coats) that matched his cowboy hats in color (dude!). And if he didn't already look ridiculous enough, he wore oversized 'nerdy' eyeglasses. I don't think that he had ever been near a horse or a bovine in his life.

Edit.

Geezer. An old(er) man. Also meaning an odd or eccentric man, usually older. If you go back far enough geezer used to refer to a coward (IIRC I ran across that usage in one of the Bounty trilogy novels).

 

The word "let" originally meant to hinder, prevent, or obstruct.

 

What about beard? Three meanings off the top of my head.
One of which I can't make, one of which I don't need, and the other one I don't have a cause to do it with.

 

Are looking at slang or how words have changed completely?
Feels has taken over for feelings.
Jelly slang for jealous but I don't think that's going to be permanent.
Conservative is one that seems to have lost a lot of its original meaning especially when used in politics.