[Ads-l] trigger

[Barretts Mail]

At least three years ago, there was a “triggered” meme showing a woman with a look of outrage:
https://imgur.com/gallery/eL4DxSF <https://imgur.com/gallery/eL4DxSF>

This meaning of “trigger” is not in the OED. 

The Merriam-Webster dictionary has:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/triggered <https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/triggered>
to cause an intense and usually negative emotional reaction in (someone) 
	Water had a way of triggering my brother and making ordinary, everyday weather take a frightening turn for the worse.— Ingrid Law

Wiktionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/trigger <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/trigger>) says:
A concept or image that upsets somebody.
	I can't watch that violent film. Blood is one of my triggers.

On 31 Oct 2000, Lynn Murphy provides a good example of a transition from the more conventional meaning:

http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2000-October/010010.html <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2000-October/010010.html>
… I just leave moodwatcher on, so that as I type things, chili peppers show up if the "offensiveness" triggers are triggered.

Benjamin Barrett (he/his/him)
Formerly of Seattle, WA
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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org