BellaOnline Forums News and Politics Senior Issues Words of Yesteryear...

Wonderful words whose original meaning has been lost, changed or has a totally different meaning since our childhoods!
I have a disclaimer for my list, BTW - I am NOT in any way, shape or form stating anything prejudicial about the words' meanings then or now - just talking about how they changed, and often became used for less positive things! I have discovered there is a word for these kinds of words - Pejoration
Pejoration is the process by which a word's meaning worsens or degenerates, coming to represent something less favorable than it originally did.
Anyone know what the OPPOSITE of Perjoration means?

Gay (originally meaning lighthearted and carefree)
BellaOnline ALERT: Raw URLs are not allowed in these forums for security reasons. Please use UBB code. If you don't know how to do UBB code just post here for help - we will help out!

Amelioration is when a word improves in meaning over time due to a semantic shift..It is the opposite of Perjoration..!!
Here is my list of perjoration words..(hope I did this right)..

Bag ..(Originally meaning disparaging slang for a woman)
Rap ..(Originally meaning a quick, light tap)
Hunk ..(Originally meaning a large piece cut off)
Can ..(Originally meaning to fire an employee)

Oh yeah, like those! I have the hardest time with current slang, as well ("bad" meaning "good" for instance!)

Cable used to only mean a wire or a thick rope

Guys - used to mean men now it refers to a group of people :Hey what's up, Guys?"

Crush - used to mean compress or flatten now it means someone likes you a lot.

Cool - used to refer to climate. Now your car can be "cool"