In a previous post, I discussed the idea of positive terms becoming pejorative over time, such as “diva” or “Mickey Mouse.” But the opposite process occurs as well: Words that were once disparaging ...

Yes, a wine ought to taste good. But there’s much more to consider, including farming, winemaking and intent. By Eric Asimov What makes a wine “good”? The answer seems self-evident: If it tastes good, ...

Is English biased against women? Source: Andrea Piacquadio / Pexels It’s not unusual for the meanings of words to shift over time. Linguists refer to this as semantic change, and there are many ...