Lost Words
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
The usage of Lost Words has wandered away from the original meaning, often in an amusing direction, and become completely lost. For reasons that are matter for conjecture, words travel more freely in America.
Pedants enjoy keeping an eye on the peregrination of Lost Words. Sometimes they attempt to haul the prodigals home again. Eventually, however, even pedants have to accept that the meaning has changed, though they rarely do this with good grace.
Decimate
Now: Reduce to one tenth of a previous number.Then: Reduce to nine tenths of a previous number.
Status: Lost, but can still be rescued.
When a Roman legion, or regiment, exhibited cowardice in battle then the punishment would be decimation. This required one in every ten men, chosen by lot, to be executed. This was an extremely severe punishment, but could sometimes be carried out without breaking military discipline on a sufficiently shamed legion. An order to execute nine of ten men would have been impossible to carry out, and would have rendered the legion useless.
Legion
Now: A huge, uncountable numberThen: One thousand, the number of soldiers in a roman regiment
Status: Wandering in the underbrush at the edge of a trackless forest where a legion trees darken the sky.
Billion
Now: A thousand million.Then: A million million.
Status: Crossed the pond, became severely reduced by the privations of the trip, and never returned.
Nice
Now: PleasantThen: Precise
Status: Missing in Action
Wicked
Now: ExcellentThen: Evil
Status: Kidnapped by teen slang, now returning to the mainstream traumatized by the experience.
Gay
Now: HomosexualThen: Happy and carefree
Status: Being held for a ransom higher than anyone is willing to pay.
