(December 17, 2015 at 8:58 pm)Stimbo Wrote:(December 17, 2015 at 6:29 pm)Reflex Wrote: DBP's post is a excellent example of carelessness. If you read a little further in the article, you'll see that Wikipedia's introductory "definition" has little or nothing in common with the word's etymology, which is much more specific. Overall, it is a grand example what happens when words are carelessly used over time: they lose their specificity and dissolve into ambiguity and meaninglessness.
Reflex, you're an idiot. Words are tools, not masters.
A sledge hammer is not a useful tool for filleting a fish. When words lose their specificity, they dissolve into ambiguity and meaninglessness. Communication cannot exist under those circumstances.