In message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Harold Owen
writes:
>I think most of us are interested in how the meaning of words change
>over time. One of my favorite examples is the word "nice." Its
>original meaning was "naughty."
OED says that it meant "wanton" or "lascivious" in 1325, but an earlier
meaning (1290) was "foolish".
>I wonder how and when its meaning was
>completely turned around.
"Requiring or involving great precision" is as early as 1513 and is
still with us (as in "nice judgement") though less common than in the
19th C. ("A nice dilemma" from "Trial by Jury" c. 1870). "Agreeable,
delightful", 1769; "dainty, appetizing" (of food), 1713. Many other
meanings, mostly obsolete.
--
Ken Moore
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Web site: http://www.mooremusic.org.uk/
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