I knew of a few but the rest of the list is pretty interesting…
Artificial
This originally meant ‘full of artistic or technical skill’. Now its meaning has a very different slant.
Nice
This comes from the Latin ‘not to know’. Originally a ‘nice person’ was someone who was ignorant or unaware.
Awful
This meant ‘full of awe’ i.e. something wonderful, delightful, amazing. However, over time it has evolved to mean exactly the opposite.
Brave
This once was used to signify cowardice. Indeed, its old meaning lives on in the word ‘bravado’.
Manufacture
From the Latin meaning ‘to make by hand’ this originally signified things that were created by craftsmen. Now the opposite, made by machines, is its meaning.
Counterfeit
This once meant a perfect copy. Now it means anything but.
Prove
Originally this meant to test. The old meaning survives in the phrase ‘proving ground’.
Tell
Its original meaning was ‘to count’. Which is how we came by the term ‘bank teller’.
Anyone know of others that changed their meanings over the years?
