skunked term

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A word that becomes difficult to use because it is transitioning from one meaning to another. Purists may insist on the old usage, while descriptivists are more open to newer usages.

Word forms

skunked term skunked terms

Etymology

Coined by American lawyer, lexicographer, and teacher Bryan A. Garner, and since adopted by some other style guides.

This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.