FEBRUARY 1st - Words Have Meaning



On this day in 1884, the first part of the Oxford English Dictionary was published. The OED is now considered the most comprehensive English language dictionary and contains definitions for over half a million words. There have actually been reports it would take over 120 years for one person to type out the OED--I’m not sure what the word per minute on that is though. The English language is a monstrosity of verbiage. And don’t get me started on the rules. But the OED provides a valuable service. It is a guardian of meaning. Words have meaning. When you call someone beautiful it means something. When you tell someone you love them it means something. If you call someone a pompous blowhard or a whiny little fartnugget, that means something too. Of course words can’t harm physically, but they affect emotions. A love-letter can stir passions. A racial slur can spark hatred. And the word “moist” can be universally hated by an entire gender. Words can be fun to say. Discombobulate. Didgeridoo. Chimichanga. Or they can be bland. Beige. They can be overused. Literally. Or underused. Effulgent. Words can become fads. Tubular. Be made-up. Fleek. Or forgotten. Alas. But words have meaning. And the OED in all of its comprehensive minutiae lets us know what those meanings are and where they come from. So thank you OED. Literally.

This Day has been Marked.

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