Yep decimate is commuted that our lovely descriptivist dictionaries are now incorporating the incorrect use as correct. It’s too bad, too, because the word had a very specific meaning which is now lost. The language is less useful for changes like this.
Comment on What's a word that means a common saying which is arguably untrue?
littlebluespark@lemmy.world 11 months ago
“Decimate” =/= “devastate”, but common misuse becomes common use, so here we are. 🤦♂️
scarabic@lemmy.world 11 months ago
SuiXi3D@kbin.social 11 months ago
Language is fun like that. Kinda like how ‘literally’ can, and often does, mean ‘figuratively’, which has the opposite meaning.
voidMainVoid@lemmy.world 11 months ago
The meaning of a word doesn’t change just because you use it incorrectly.
GiveOver@feddit.uk 11 months ago
It does if lots of people use it incorrectly
Twinklebreeze@lemmy.world 11 months ago
That is literally how language works. Words only mean what we mean when we say them.
voidMainVoid@lemmy.world 11 months ago
So if I potato, you can ottoman?
littlebluespark@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Language morphology, but you’re close. Except for that last sentence, technically. That’s some bullshit, right there. 🤣