Disappearing Definitions
Came across an interesting post on a NYT site the other day (you can read it here) essentially bemoaning the current revisions underway to the Oxford English Dictionary. The author, Ammon Shea, is sad that some rather creative and unique definitions will disappear since they're no longer relevant or are now considered insensitive. After looking at the examples he uses, I too am a bit sad that we won't see some of this history for these words any more.
And I have to admit to being something of an OED junkie, or (perhaps more accurately) an etymology junkie. I love finding out the history of words and how their definitions have changed over time as society has changed. This is an intriguing part of our language and reflects the general change that all language exhibits over time. Since language exists to facilitate communication between people, it makes some sense that as people's needs and attitudes change, so will their language.
So if you haven't spent time lately looking through the OED for word etymologies, you should--you'll be suprised how interesting they can be. (Oh, and if you need a place to start, just look at some of the rare or archaic meanings for the word that graces the title of this blog, gallimaufry: there's at least one definition there you might chuckle at.)