Ameliorated words of offensive origin

jdespres at MERRIAM-WEBSTER.COM jdespres at MERRIAM-WEBSTER.COM
Wed Feb 28 13:06:09 UTC 2001


Wouldn't "gay" also fall into this category?  Actually, it's moved in
both directions, from a sense with fairly positive overtones ("keenly
alive and exuberant") to one with negative ones ("licentious") to one
that, by now at least, is fairly neutral ("homosexual").

Joanne Despres
Merriam-Webster



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