“How Language Changes: 5 English Words with Different Meanings in the Past”

Hello students. Today I have what I hope will be  a fun and interesting English vocabulary lesson.  

Today I am going to teach  you some vocabulary words  

that used to have different meanings. That means  the meaning of these words has changed over time. 

The first English vocabulary word that  has changed its meaning is awful. Awful  

used to mean worthy of awe. Awe  means a felling of great respect  

for something or someone. A very positive word.  Awful, and awesome used to mean the same thing.  

For some reason, over time, awful became a  word that meant something, or someone is bad.  

Like the word horrible. An awful person,  an awful thing. Today awful is bad and  

awesome means something is very good. Here’s an example: 

The past… A: How was your meal? 

B: It was the best meal I have ever had. Like it  was delivered from heaven. It was truly awful. 

Now… A: How was your meal? 

B: It was the worst meal I have  ever had. It was truly awful. 

The next vocabulary word that has changed  meaning over time is bully. You don’t want  

to be called a bully nowadays but maybe  you wouldn’t have minded it in the past.  

Now bully is used to describe a person who  wants to do harm to others either physically,  

mentally, or through words. The original meaning  of bully was used to describe someone who is sweet  

and nice. The past… 

A: Can I help you with that? B: Sure, thanks. You are such a bully. 

Now… A: Can  

I help you with that? B: You are such a bully. 

The next word is nervous. We all  get nervous from time to time.  

Nervous is when someone is very anxious or  agitated. Maybe you get nervous before a test  

or an interview. In the past though, nervous  referred to someone who had great strength. 

The past… A: How’s  

it going? B: Pretty good! I’m getting  

ready for my interview as a dragon fighter. A: Wow! You must be nervous.

Now… A: How’s it going? 

B: Not very well. I have a job interview tomorrow. A: Oh, you must be nervous. 

Next up is the vocabulary word sad. We all know  the meaning of sad and we all know the feeling  

of sad, but in the past this word meant that you  were satisfied. In the past sad often referred to  

feeling full from a meal. The past… 

A: How are you feeling today? B: I am feeling sad. I just had a big meal. 

Now… A: How are you feeling today? 

B: I’m a little sad because  I haven’t eaten anything yet.

The last English vocabulary word that has changed  meaning is dapper. This word was originally used  

to describe someone who was brave, bold, and  daring. Now it is used to describe a well-dressed  

man. Someone who looks nice in a  suit can be described as dapper. 

The past… A:  

How’s Danny these days? B: He’s great! He just got  

a new job as a dragon fighter. A: Wow! He’s so dapper. 

Now… A: Hey, what do you think of my  

new suit? I got it for my job interview. B: Wow! You look dapper in that suit.  

You’re a real Dapper Danny. 

Thanks for watching. I’ll  see you in the next video.