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From: al@mot.UUCP (Al Filipski)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Semantic Reversals
Message-ID: <101@mot.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 14-Feb-85 12:52:55 EST
Article-I.D.: mot.101
Posted: Thu Feb 14 12:52:55 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 17-Feb-85 06:20:24 EST
Organization: Motorola Microsystems, Phoenix AZ
Lines: 40

There are some words  whose meanings have become perverted into
a near reversal of what their origins would suggest.  Here are
a few that have stuck in my mind over the years.  Does anyone know 
of any others?

chaos-- Originally, according to Hesiod, the god Chaos represented
	Emptyness or the Void.  Today, if we say someone's desk
	is "chaotic", we hardly mean that it is empty.

amazon-- Many men seem to fantasize an "Amazon" to be a big,
	well-built, wildish woman such as might be found in a Frazetta 
	painting.  Odd, since "Amazon" = "a-" (without) + "madzon" (breast).  
	An Amazon is therefore a flat-chested woman.  Of course, this is 
	related to the old legend of the tribe of female archers who found 
	their right breasts an inconvenience and cut them off.

unravel-- Means exactly the same as "ravel".

shameless-- Isn't "shameless" behavior a lot like "shameful"
	behavior and vice versa?

asbestos-- "Asbestos" is a Greek word meaning "Unquenchable",
	as when Homer says "asbestos d'ar enorto gelos makaressi 
	theoisin" (and laughter unquenchable arose among the blessed gods).
	Odd that a material noted for its non-flammability 
	is called "unquenchable".  It would be more reasonable if 
	Magnesium or maybe Napalm were called "Asbestos".

spry-- Most people think of a spry person as one whose main
	characteristic is "old" instead of "agile".  Can you
	imagine a spry young person?

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Alan Filipski, UNIX group, Motorola Microsystems, Tempe, AZ U.S.A
{allegra | ihnp4 } ! sftig ! mot ! al
{seismo | ihnp4 } ! ut-sally ! oakhill ! mot ! al
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