Then, says the professor, “because the innocent are easily taken advantage of it came to signal a person deemed weak or helpless”. In due course, that became “pious” or “holy”. In Old English, it meant happy or fortunate. Believe it or not, “buxom” meant obedient. “Handsome”, for example, originally meant easy to handle, while “clever” meant dexterous.
Professor Horobin says, “Several common adjectives that describe physical appearances began life referring to dexterity and pliancy”. These changes in meaning may seem surprising but they’re really not. From there spring its metamorphic extensions to mean large as in “tall order” or exaggerated as in “tall story”. Its usage relating to height began a century later. By the 15th century, it came to mean handsome or elegant. “Tall” in Old English meant swift or active. But you still get hints of its origin when you remember it can be used ironically as in “pretty kettle of fish” and “pretty state of affairs”. Slowly, thereafter, it was used to call someone attractive or good-looking. By the 15th century, the word described something cleverly made or artful. Now, when “pretty” first entered the dictionary, as a derivative of a word from Old English, it meant cunning. Today, fulsome praise is taken as a compliment. For her, gay was always merry and carefree.Ī recent article by Simon Horobin, a professor of English at Oxford, reveals that, when they first came to be popularly used, each of the five words I’ve chosen meant something very different to what it does today. Mummy, as a 90-year-old, would often introduce generals with the line, “We first met when he was a gay young man”. For instance, to be gay today is very different to what that adjective meant in the 1920s. Now, it’s not surprising to find that words change their meanings over time. It’s about five simple words we probably use every single day: Pretty, tall, silly, naughty, and sad. Nor does it have anything to do with the illogical pronunciation of the language. What I intend is not fiercely cerebral or complicatedly grammatical. I’ve done it before, of course, but when third waves, winged horses, limping economies and less-than-thrilling Olympics are depressing our spirits, this could be the little boost you need. This Sunday, I want to share my fascination for the English language.