While grammar rules have more or less remained similar over time, many English words and phrases have shifted in meaning. Let’s look at some examples of English words with different meanings in the past, and compare their meanings in the past to the present day.
Nouns with different meanings in the past
- unfriend (n): This word originally referred to an enemy. This is very different from today’s use as a verb, related to removing someone as a friend from a social media contact list.
- husband (n): This once meant the male head of a household. Today, it specifically refers to a married man. Similarly, wife (n) used to refer to any woman, but now signifies a married woman.
- meat (n): Meat was used to describe any kind of solid food. Now, it specifically refers to the flesh of animals, e.g. steak, chicken etc.
- clout (n): This term once referred to cloth or clothing but has evolved to mean influence or power. For example, with millions of followers on her social media platforms, the pop star has significant clout among young audiences.
- degree (n): Degree initially referred to a step in a social rank or hierarchy, similar to what we might call a stage or level. It is now commonly used in the context of academic achievement or a unit of measurement.
- speed (n): Speed originally meant success or prosperity, but now it refers to the rate of movement.
- bully (n): A bully used to mean sweetheart for both men and women! Now, a bully is someone who threatens to hurt someone else.
Adjectives with different meanings in the past
- fantastic (adj): This adjective once exclusively referred to things conceived in the imagination. Now, it is more frequently used to mean wonderful or fabulous.
- nice (adj): This word evolved from meaning stupid, ignorant or foolish to describing something refined, pleasant or agreeable.
- awful/awesome (adj): Both of these words originated from awe, meaning full of fear or terror. Over time, they have changed significantly in meaning, with one now having a positive meaning and the other having a negative meaning. Awful now indicates something bad and awesome means something or someone is impressive.
- artificial (adj): This word initially referred to works of art, but by the 15th century, it changed to mean fake or man-made.
- silly (adj): This word used to mean you felt blessed, happy or fortunate. Now, it means to lack a good sense of judgment or to be foolish.
- naughty (adj): Naughty used to mean that a person was poor or did not have anything. Nowadays, it is used to describe when a person misbehaves or is lacking in manners. Often, the word naughty is used to talk about children.
As shown by these English words with different meanings in the past, languages evolve over time. They reflect the changes in culture, technology and the world as a whole. This means that inevitably, English will continue to change now and long into the future. How will the meanings of words we use today shift over the next few decades or centuries? Will current meanings become so different that future generations will look back and be surprised by the way we use certain words in this time? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
You can also read this blog post which looks at 5 Old English words and explores their modern translations.
Activity
Match the words 1–8 to the old meanings in A–H. Then, write the current meanings of the words.
| 1. silly | A. artwork |
| 2. degree | B. an enemy |
| 3. speed | C. clothes or material |
| 4. unfriend | D. grateful or content |
| 5. husband | E. a level or social rank |
| 6. awful | F. frightening |
| 7. artificial | G. the main man in a house or family |
| 8. clout | H. success |
Answers
1 D – foolish, lack of good judgment
2 E – a unit of measurement, or an academic qualification
3 H – the rate of movement
4 B – to remove someone as a friend on social media
5 G – a man you are married to
6 F – very bad; terrible
7 A – fake or man-made
8 C – influence or power
Billie Jago is an ELT writer and teacher trainer specialising in digital learning materials and assessment resources. She has written for various well-known assessment titles, and writes items for high stakes exams such as the PTE, IELTS and Cambridge. Alongside materials writing, she delivers international teacher training sessions and is the founder of the ELTcpd professional development training platform and podcast. She is also the co-founder of the educational consultancy, OtterEducation.