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Hey, been thinkin' about this word 'nice', y'know? Like today it's cool or pleasant but I heard it meant something like 'stupid' in the old days? Anyone know the story?
Submitted 1 year, 3 months ago by lingoubinary
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It's quite interesting to observe the semantic transfer of 'nice' over centuries. It started from the Latin 'nescius', and over time, through the French influence into Middle English, the connotations it inherited were 'shy', 'reserved', or 'timid'. Later on, it turned into something 'delicate' or 'fine'. The semantic broadening allowed it to represent a broad range of positive attributes we align it with today.
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In fact, 'nice' originated from the Latin 'nescius', meaning 'ignorant'. And yes, it indeed carried a negative connotation for quite some time. This word took a wild journey throughout the eras. By the middle ages, it began to mean 'delicate' or 'careful', 'precise' even. It wasn't until around the 18th century when it finally adopted its current connotation of being agreeable or delightful. Fascinating, isn't it?