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Tuesday, April 1, 2014

The True Meaning...

You will often see me refer to the true meaning of words. You will see me ask if we know what the true meaning is of a word. I will ask, time and again, what was the true meaning of a word. What was this word meant for or to be? This is what I strive for, mainly, in this blog; the true meaning of words. 

What do I mean when I say true meaning? 

When I refer to the true meaning of a word or words, I mean to ponder what a word was intended to mean when it was first used. The true definition of the word 'meaning' is what is intended to be expressed or indicated. To intend, is to design or mean for a particular purpose or use. Thus, the meaning is to be designed for a particular purpose to be expressed or indicated, indicating mean to be assigned. 

The word 'true' means being in accordance with the actual state or conditions, or conforming to fact. I want to focus on the word 'fact' first, which means something that actually exists- fair enough. The word 'conform' means to make similar in form; having a likeness or resemblance (similar), which then means to be like or similar (resemblance), and then 'like' means to be of the same form. Form means a particular condition in which something appears. 

I could go on like this all day, because each word in a definition can be defined further. The domino effect is incredible when defining words. It's almost like a piece of glass exploding into a million pieces, and each one is another word with another definition. It's beautiful, really.

Anyways, we can establish that the word 'true' means being in agreement (accord) and having a resemblance (similar) to the condition in which the word actually exists (fact, form).

Thus, when I want the true meaning of a word, I want exactly what the word was designed for and I want it to be in agreement with how the word actually exists, or rather existed. Usually, we do not use words, or know, how words were intended to be used. There are all of the connotations (associated or secondary meanings of a word or expression, in addition to its explicit meaning) that go along with words today; connotations that are not similar to how the word exists.

The word 'purpose' was in the definition of the word intend. It comes to mind now; the reason for which something exists. To exist means to continue to be, and to be means to continue or remain as before.

For example, the word 'pretty' is not usually used in accordance with the reason for which the word exists. The reason that the word 'pretty' was created, was to express cunning or gallant. It means, first and foremost, that something is pleasing or attractive to the eye, as by delicacy or gracefulness. Sometimes, pretty is meant to describe the state of something, such as "my wound is pretty big." Well, a wound is not pretty. It is not pleasing to the eye. It is not graceful. It is repulsive and rough.

How often do you hear someone use the word 'pretty' to express someone's beauty? 

My thoughts often ponder why this happens. I find myself wondering how the meaning of words became what they are today. What happened that changed the meaning of the word 'gay'? Or rather, what changed the knowledge of this word? What has occurred that has made people think first of this word's secondary meaning, rather than it's first meaning? Did we even have knowledge of this word's true meaning when we began using it? Is there anyway to know? As I think of words that are similar to this situation, I ask myself all of these questions.

I digress. In this blog, I plan to pursue the true meaning of words, and I hope you will follow me on this journey that I take. I hope it inspires you to pursue the journey, as well! If throughout this post, you thought of a word that you would like me to provide the true meaning of, please comment below and let me know. I would be happy to engage with my readers, and I look forward to the possibilities. I want to hear your thoughts!

As always, thank you for reading and happy blogging. 

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